Council launches lettings agency to help homeless families

Council launches lettings agency to help homeless families

0:01 AM, 2nd November 2023, About 6 months ago 13

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A new lettings agency has been launched by a council to work with private landlords and help homeless families find permanent homes.

GBC Lettings is part of Gravesham Borough Council’s response to the rising number of local households living in temporary accommodation, which has reached more than 200.

The council says high interest rates and the cost-of-living crisis are key factors leading to more families and individuals seeking support.

‘Moving on to something more permanent’

Cllr Jenny Wallace, the council’s cabinet member for housing services, said: “Temporary accommodation should be just that, a few brief nights’ stay in an emergency before moving on to something more permanent.

“But demand for social housing has soared in recent months as families struggle to make ends meet and has resulted in too many households spending too long in this sort of property.

“And it is expensive. We are looking at a bill of over £1 million for temporary accommodation in the current financial year, against a budget originally set for less than half of that.”

She added: “It’s an unsustainable position and one we are having to be innovative and creative at tackling.”

Looking for private landlords

GBC Lettings is looking for private landlords who will take households directly from temporary accommodation – and it will offer:

  • Guaranteed payment of rent on the first of each month
  • Support through the process of turning properties around between tenants
  • Guaranteed tenant within two weeks of a property being ready to let
  • A minimum of four visits a year from council officers to check on properties
  • A designated council officer for support and advice
  • Support in understanding and complying with the ever-changing regulations landlords are bound by.

‘Easy and straightforward as possible for landlords’

Cllr Wallace added: “Essentially, we are looking to make it as easy and straightforward as possible for landlords to provide a more permanent home for some of the families we are currently supporting in temporary accommodation.

“As a landlord, we already have 5,700 social housing properties that we manage and maintain on a daily basis.

“We are offering to bring that expertise to support our landlords, while guaranteeing them rental income.”

She adds: “I hope many of our borough’s private landlords see the benefits of working with us for themselves, but most importantly for the well-being of so many local families in need of support.”


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Comments

LL Minion

13:21 PM, 2nd November 2023, About 6 months ago

and I am guessing each visit they find an issue with the property and raise an improvement notice?

'As a landlord, we already have 5,700 social housing properties that we manage and maintain on a daily basis.'“We are offering to bring that expertise to support our landlords, while guaranteeing them rental income.”

They cant look after what they own! Daily basis my ar$e. EXPERTISE? in what exactly? Supporting landlords? All they want to do is fine and prosecute you!

This is a scam if every I have seen one.

Mr.A

13:39 PM, 2nd November 2023, About 6 months ago

PUT YOU TRUST IN A CITY COUNCIL 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.

Reluctant Landlord

17:09 PM, 2nd November 2023, About 6 months ago

put your trust in a company that can't run its own properties?

Imagine using them as an agent and asking for customer references. Yes I am sure Mr & Mrs Smith of 52 Acacia Avenue who are direct tenants of said 'agent' who have not had a gas cert for 3 years, dodgy electrics, mould and an outstanding complaint with the council for repairs will be happy to provide one......

If this were listed on Companies House showing a deficit of millions...do they really beleive people will enter what is essentially a commercial agreement with them....?

I dont know what is worse. Them being so naive to even thing this is viable or so stupid not to see why this can never work????

Reluctant Landlord

17:12 PM, 2nd November 2023, About 6 months ago

Reply to the comment left by LL Minion at 02/11/2023 - 13:21
Its not always about rental income - it costs far more to put the house back together after Mr Temp Accomm (who was evicted previously for ASB and damage issues) trashes the place.

Of course...GDPR...we cant tell you why he is in TA in the first place....

If a LL signs up to this they are going to put in the worst tenants - those who are playing up in the current B&B's/TA. Out of sight out of mind...

Paul Essex

18:57 PM, 2nd November 2023, About 6 months ago

If being a landlord is so easy please offer to take properties on a full repairing lease........ what do you mean too much risk?

NewYorkie

19:27 PM, 2nd November 2023, About 6 months ago

These people have no commercial sense. They live in their own little local government world, where they waste taxpayers' money on overpriced and poor quality servicing and repairs, and get bailed out when they have no money left.

LordOf TheManor

21:23 PM, 2nd November 2023, About 6 months ago

Why would any landlord want to trash the neighbourhood they've invested in?

If they did, it's a kiss goodbye to any capital growth. There's no control over who lives in the property and no known 'standard' when it comes to looking after the property in the way that a pro-active landlord would.

While it might appeal to some 'let it and forget it' landlords, good luck to them down the track of time. They can find out at their own cost what the churn in tenancies has done to neighbourhood stability - its lack of capital growth as a result - and why the property is the least desirable address in its location when the owner gets it back.

Any 'repairs' carried out will be of the bodge-it variety by any oik available at the cheapest price. No work will be done to a guaranteed standard - that much is definitely guaranteed!!

Be prepared for the cost and expense of full rip-out repairs at the end of time for no real benefit - which is higly likely if the area has gone downhill. Or skip that and sell at a loss - just to get shot of the place.

Overall, letting to the Council is not sounding like a recipe for successful investment, is it?

Lord

PS: I did let to the Council in the past - but only the once - never again!

The property's long garden got fenced off less than half way down 'to make it more manageable' for the tenants. The tenants didn't maintain the area closest to the house and the area beyond the fence turned into an overgrown jungle that the Council didn't return as they took it on. The council simply said that they didn't need all of the garden and after 4 years of neglect it was left for me to clear at a considerable/unexpected cost.

Children of the council's tenants took to standing on a ladder to throw stones at the neighbour's Koi carp. The neighbour located me and complained most vociferously on my doorstep - out of the blue. I took the complaint to the council immediately - where I got accused of living an 'ideal life'. I was told children are children - all that is to be expected. Nothing we can do, they said. As stated, they duly did nothing about it.

I tried to cancel the lease with the council before its end. They were really good at engaging their legal team to tell me why that wouldn't be happening. No expense was spared on the legal fees spent by the council.

I had three years of hell from the decent-living home-owning neighbours who had to put up with the council's tenants. I felt so ashamed of the decision I made and was genuinely sorry for the neighbours but I was powerless after the contract was made.

I would never wish this experience on anyone. Just don't do it!!

Michael Booth

6:41 AM, 3rd November 2023, About 6 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Reluctant Landlord at 02/11/2023 - 17:12
If its not all about rental income what are you in the landlord business for .? It certainly not the fun of it..

Reluctant Landlord

7:36 AM, 3rd November 2023, About 6 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Michael Booth at 03/11/2023 - 06:41
what i mean is, you put rent income against risk of property being trashed. I could be offered 20% more rent but if the risk of the property being trashed and cost thousands to put right then asking for more rent is never going to justify that risk or probably compensate for the damage/hassle/ voids etc. How do you weigh up a bit more rent over having no idea when you could get your house back from a council for instance.

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