Big council turns to HMO landlords to help house their homeless
9:17 AM, 23rd July 2025, 9 months ago
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Liverpool City Council is to overhaul its approach to tackling homelessness by collaborating with private landlords to secure hundreds of homes for those in need.
The initiative, which aims to provide both temporary and permanent accommodation, comes as the city grapples with a sharp rise in homelessness.
There are 1,635 households currently in temporary housing, more than double the number when the original landlord plan was conceived last year.
In February 2024, the council approved a scheme to work with private landlords to deliver 400 housing units over five years.
Offer landlords 12-month leases
Then it was described by council leaders as a ‘means to an end’ to offer leases of up to 12 months while seeking long-term solutions.
However, that plan was deemed to be ‘unviable’ due to inefficiencies, prompting a new strategy.
The updated approach, endorsed by the council’s cabinet, focuses on securing a mix of temporary and move-on accommodation, including Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs), studio flats and properties tailored to the needs of homeless households.
Cllr Liam Robinson, speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside, said: “We’re at the sharp end of a national homelessness emergency and you see similar things in all the big cities across the country. Genuinely, we want to properly address it.”
Cost-effective housing solution
He noted that the original plans were ‘not necessarily as targeted as they could have been’ and stressed the need for a ‘more cost-effective way’ to deliver housing solutions.
The council’s Housing Solutions Service has faced ‘unprecedented demand’ in recent years, driven by a surge in Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions, rising rents and limited support from family or friends.
Currently, around 1,100 households are placed in costly B&B or hotel accommodation, with few options for permanent housing.
The council’s new plan aims to ease this pressure by partnering with landlords to offer affordable and suitable homes, apparently via a third party, that can transition into long-term tenancies, enabling families to settle permanently.
Liverpool’s council cabinet plans to distribute HMOs and other housing options across the city, rather than concentrating them in deprived areas.
Liverpool’s selective licensing scheme
The council’s controversial selective licensing scheme, which requires landlords in 16 of Liverpool’s wards to obtain licences, has also faced scrutiny.
In 2020, the government rejected a proposal to renew a city-wide licensing scheme, and issues have persisted with the latest version which was brought in 2022.
Des Taylor from Landlord Licensing & Defence, in a Property118 interview, revealed: “We defended a case involving a rent repayment order where the council had written to properties saying they needed a licence, when they didn’t – because the licensing scheme didn’t cover that area.
“Yet the landlord still had to defend against a vexatious tenant who wanted to pursue it anyway, just because they’d received a letter – even though the letter was wrong.”
Leases not with the council
Under the new plan detailed in the cabinet’s minutes, the council will not hold leases or tenancies but will procure services from providers who manage properties and tenancies, with the flexibility to add more homes as needed.
This approach, combined with targeted support for households transitioning to stable tenancies, aims to reduce reliance on expensive temporary accommodations and fulfil the council’s statutory duties under the Housing Act 1996.
The strategy also meets with the council’s recently approved Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, which includes new roles to enhance early intervention and prevention measures.
Tags:
affordable housing Liverpool, HMO Liverpool, Housing crisis UK, Liverpool City Council housing, liverpool homelessness, Private Rented Sector, temporary accommodation
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10 months ago
Member Since June 2019 - Comments: 778
9:36 AM, 23rd July 2025, About 9 months ago
So an arms length rent to rent scheme where the council is trying to get as far away from the responsibility for the tenants as possible.
With the lease arrangements they would have been responsible for the tenants actions and all of the legal obligations.
Member Since May 2023 - Comments: 4
9:45 AM, 23rd July 2025, About 9 months ago
Can someone with a bit more intelligence than me explain to me what benefit of getting involved in such a scheme, would be to landlords?
Member Since April 2018 - Comments: 373
10:01 AM, 23rd July 2025, About 9 months ago
One minute the Government and Councils are hammering landlords then they expect their help.So much for the Renter’s Rights Bill by the sounds of things, one rule for Councils another for the rest.Councils have been doing something similar for years.Red flag warning. Landlords will end up with rogue/problem tenants and the Councils will wash their hands of it.
Member Since May 2015 - Comments: 2197 - Articles: 2
10:11 AM, 23rd July 2025, About 9 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Jay Hall at 23/07/2025 – 09:45
That’s easy, NONE.
Member Since August 2022 - Comments: 100
11:10 AM, 23rd July 2025, About 9 months ago
Having in the past helped the Council (Manchester and Oldham) with housing their tenants, I shall never do it again.
As soon as the tenants have an AST, the council will wash their hands off any and all responsibility.
One tenant started (or I should say continued) dealing in drugs. Luckily for me, the police arrested him and that triggered a voluntary termination of the tenancy. Another – in a licensed property no less – started hammering my walls down and I had to go through S21 to get her out. No help whatsoever from the council. or social services.
This is some years ago – I no longer need class B, C and below tenants. Only Class A++.
If you think about helping the council, don’t say you weren’t warned!.
Member Since May 2015 - Comments: 2197 - Articles: 2
11:29 AM, 23rd July 2025, About 9 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Markella Mikkelsen at 23/07/2025 – 11:10
Be especially wary of any tenant who is likely to receive legal aid, for when you win they are protected from all costs, and you are left with the bill. If this means excluding all benefit tenants then so be it, the government has made its bed, let the tenants rest in it
Member Since March 2015 - Comments: 1969 - Articles: 1
12:20 PM, 23rd July 2025, About 9 months ago
I offered to do this, locally, 20 years ago and they didn’t want to know. Had great success, albeit in small numbers, with the neighbouring council’s Young Person’s Accommodation Team who would, as I requested, guarantor and simply paid the rent regardless of whether they were housing anyone or not. If there were any damages, they’d ask me to sort and invoice them. Worked like a dream, but my own council wouldn’t have it (actually, the council leader was up for it until someone whispered in his ear and then it died a death).
Member Since November 2024 - Comments: 81
5:06 PM, 23rd July 2025, About 9 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Markella Mikkelsen at 23/07/2025 – 11:10
It seems that with the new bill they want to steer the A++ to the MPs big corp housing chums and to try and force / get rid of B, C to Z to the hated PRS. Central and local have made an absolute disaster of their housing responsibilities, the PRS over the years have picked up the pieces housing people who ordinarily may have been entitled to social/housing association housing have then villiefied the PRS with their sidekicks – Generation Rent, Shelter, Big Issue who don’t actually help tenants by housing anyone or providing guarantors for those who need one even though the latter two (and maybe GR) having MILLIONS swirling in their accounts after they take their cut for a ‘salary’ for their so called ‘jobs’ they just mouth off never using substantiated facts or quoting the data used for their wild claims/accusations and sadly making life for tenants worse.
Member Since May 2018 - Comments: 2016
5:08 PM, 23rd July 2025, About 9 months ago
I think that if Liverpool City Council are genuinely trying to collaborate with big landlords to house homeless people and pay them for doing it then they should be congratulated for doing that.
But for me that raises a question. This isn’t something I can do, but under Liverpool City Council’s proposals for their collaboration with private landlords, will this be more financially attractive, or even just sustainable, for a private landlord than entering into the government contract set up with Serco to house asylum seekers?
If so, then congratulations to Liverpool City Council for a pragmatic and realistic approach.
Member Since December 2023 - Comments: 1581
9:32 AM, 24th July 2025, About 9 months ago
I wouldn’t do anything to help the government nor the council. In fact, I actively seek ways to not help.
I’d rent each property to the smallest number of people possible. I currently have 4 people in a 4 bed property and charge as if it was a 3 bed property to make it affordable for them.