Council seeks more landlords to fight homelessness

Council seeks more landlords to fight homelessness

0:04 AM, 12th July 2024, About 3 months ago 6

Text Size

A council says it is looking for more private landlords to partner with to offer stable housing to those in need – and it has thanked those landlords who have already signed up.

The call is being made by Shropshire Council which is also promising financial rewards and extensive support after it made an initial appeal in April.

A rise in households needing housing assistance due to factors like flooding, rising costs and the end of Ukraine host placements is driving the council’s efforts.

It wants to avoid temporary accommodation, seen as unsettling and expensive, and offer more suitable options.

‘We’re appealing to private sector landlords’

Councillor Dean Carroll, the cabinet member for housing and assets, said: “Facing homelessness is a worrying experience for anyone, so we’re appealing to private sector landlords so we can continue to offer vital housing support to those most vulnerable.

“You could be an experienced landlord with a portfolio of properties and just looking for tenants, in which case, we can offer a tenant matching service where we will interview and assess all tenants before they approach you.

“Or you may be a first-time landlord and benefit from extra support our team can give with setting up the tenancy and handling all the paperwork.”

He added: “We would like to thank those landlords that have come forward to offer their property and say how much this makes a positive difference to those who are facing homelessness.”

Open to any type of accommodation

The council says it is open to discussing any type of accommodation, from flats to houses, anywhere in Shropshire.

Landlords will benefit from financial support for deposits and rent, tenant support, tenancy advice, dispute resolution and a dedicated point of contact.

One Shropshire landlord who joined the scheme said: “I initially contacted the council to see if they would lease my flats but as this wasn’t an option, I decided to work with them to help me to find tenants.

“The team quickly put people forward for me to consider, supported me by organising viewings, drew up tenancy agreements and made sure tenants received the correct documents at the start of the tenancy.”


Share This Article


Comments

Cider Drinker

Become a Member

If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!

Sign Up

8:29 AM, 12th July 2024, About 3 months ago

The council are trying to save money - at the expense of gullible landlords.

They do nothing to help landlords. I’m paying 100% council tax on an a property that a HB claimant trashed. The council doesn’t care that it is costing me the equivalent of 5 YEARS’ rent to recover the property.

I’ll never do anything to help the council.

Reluctant Landlord

Become a Member

If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!

Sign Up

9:02 AM, 12th July 2024, About 3 months ago

I contacted them directly after their 'appeal' in April with a 4 bed house to offer them. I had just got a fully refurbished property prepped and ready to let. New kitchen new bathroom, fully re carpeted throughout.

I had to do all the chasing for info about T directly with T (the council were no help). Council said they would pay deposit and RIA and an 'incentive' to the LL for coming to them (£250 I think it was - pitiful) . Council would not pay a holding fee to reserve the property.

Despite the council agreeing this was the best thing for the family of 6 (they had nothing to offer them other than a room in a Travelodge), at the last min T said no and refused to move. Council could offer no help and if T changed mind nothing they could do.

I will NEVER be going down this route again.

Councils only have themselves to blame. Even when they agree a property offered is perfect and meets the full needs of the family, AND will SAVE them thousands over expensive temp accomodation costs that will be avoided, they still refused to ensure the T takes up the property.

A month later I get an email asking if my property is still available...!

As far as I am concerned they can now stew in the mess of their own making. They are allowing the tail to wag the dog. Clearly there is no housing crisis afterall....

Trapped Landlord

Become a Member

If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!

Sign Up

10:51 AM, 12th July 2024, About 3 months ago

The audacity. So after years and years of unprovoked , spiteful attacks on the private sector, you find yourself in a position where you want to get into business with the private sector ? Thanks but no thanks !, i will continue evicting my worst tenants and send them your way. I will fuel your problems like you have fuelled mine and milk every penny of profit out of this mess at the same time. You reap what you sow.

Reluctant Landlord

Become a Member

If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!

Sign Up

11:16 AM, 12th July 2024, About 3 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Trapped Landlord at 12/07/2024 - 10:51in a way it was always inevitable that they have to ask the PRS to bail them out. They have no choice. No accommodation of their own, a spiralling list of those needing it and a huge TA bill increasing by the second...
First step... get in what you can from the PRS. Intro SL as a cash cow to stem cash flow issues.
Second step, throw the FURTHER gvt funding you have managed to secure into 'incentivising' the PRS to release what properties they have to you. Let the PRS LL deal with the tenant direct on and AST (now T is their total problem) and funding comes from UC to pay the rent too. More off the council list as a result and costs cut overnight. Gets the Council off the hook entirely.
What is going to REALLY bite them in the ar$e next is the plan to not have min AST contracts.
At the mo most councils I deal with will only fund the deposit and RIA for T to move into a private property if a min 12 month contract is secured. If min term contracts are banned then a LL would not be able to legally offer a min contract period, so then what?
Essentially this will mean that either councils will have to pay the deposit and RIA for every AST offered, or the T wont be going anywhere at all.
Another case of making demands but not understating the direct consequences...
When will they learn?
There is absolutely no reason why any prs LL would house anyone off the housing list at this present time, and especially anyone presented to them by the council themselves.

Darren Peters

Become a Member

If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!

Sign Up

18:23 PM, 13th July 2024, About 3 months ago

Who do the council suggest the landlords should kick out to make their properties available exactly?

Or perhaps they think private landlords are just sitting on empty properties twiddling their thumbs.

Slooky

Become a Member

If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!

Sign Up

9:01 AM, 14th July 2024, About 3 months ago

The councils stitch you up by telling a tenant to stay until the bailiffs arrive despite the fact the tenants are in arrears. The council won't have any thing to do with you when you need their help because the tenant isn't paying the full rent. The council literally say it is not their problem if the landlord can't pay the mortgage if the tenant won't pay the full rent. When things go wrong with the tenants they provide they will withdraw any support and let you go under.

Leave Comments

In order to post comments you will need to Sign In or Sign Up for a FREE Membership

or

Don't have an account? Sign Up

Landlord Automated Assistant Read More