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Landlords help council house 100 households this year
12:01 AM, 25th August 2026, 3 weeks ago
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Landlords with homes to let in one county have helped 100 households move into privately rented homes since the start of 2026.
To help, the landlords are offered financial help, free paperwork and ongoing support when housing people at risk of homelessness.
Dorset council says its Key4Me scheme has seen more than 270 households securing accommodation through the initiative since its launch in November 2024.
Landlord liaison officers and Dorset council’s tenancy sustainment team also keep in touch after a household has moved in.
Support for landlords
Councillor Gill Taylor, the council’s cabinet member for housing and homelessness, said: “Housing is one of this council’s key priorities.
“By working closely with landlords, we’re helping more households access homes in the private rented sector on affordable terms while giving them greater security.”
She added: “The scheme also saves landlords hundreds of pounds and gives peace of mind that support is available if they need it.
“It’s a partnership that benefits everyone.”
Homes across Dorset
Flats, rooms and houses with between one and five bedrooms have been let through Key4Me.
The properties have housed people leaving temporary accommodation as well as households facing homelessness.
Landlords pay no scheme fees, with the council claiming they can save up to 15% of the costs associated with letting a home.
Key4Me landlord benefits
Available support includes help with rent in advance and incentive payments for landlords.
A deposit bond can cover up to 12 weeks’ rent, while assistance with a cash deposit is limited to five weeks’ rent.
The scheme also provides a pet bond of up to £400, a compliance check, tenancy agreement and inventory without charge.
Landlords can receive support from the tenancy sustainment team and one year’s free membership of the South West Landlords’ Association.
Tags:
Dorset landlord scheme, Homelessness prevention, Key4Me scheme, landlord deposit bond, landlord incentive payments, Private Rented Sector
4 comments on this article
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Landlords push asking rents higher as tenant demand surges
Member Since January 2015 - Comments: 1582 - Articles: 1
10:48 AM, 25th August 2026, About 3 weeks ago
Wait until the landlord needs to sort ASB issues; more than 12 weeks rent unpaid, tenant lifestyle causing mould issues, pets causing a nuisance to neighbours etc etc then see how much support from Dorset Council’s, or any Local Authority’s (especially any in London) housing team, the landlord gets.
Member Since May 2015 - Comments: 2320 - Articles: 2
11:01 AM, 25th August 2026, About 3 weeks ago
I have tried this. The support ends the instant the tenancy is signed, leaving the landlord with all the problems of a troublesome tenant. Do not believe anything a council says about ongoing support, like the tooth fairy it is mythical.
Member Since February 2024 - Comments: 94
11:18 AM, 25th August 2026, About 3 weeks ago
My friend does this type of work for Bradford Council, but the council does offer contractual guarantees w. r. t. cost of repairs and refurbishing because otherwise the private landlords wouldn’t participate
Member Since January 2025 - Comments: 128
11:21 AM, 25th August 2026, About 3 weeks ago
… so landlords have finally accepted that they are now the most efficient—and most heavily regulated—housing and anti-social behaviour officers local councils have ever managed to recruit. Employment regulations protected incompetent council officers; this new breed of private officer—private in name only—can instead be fined so heavily that a single regulatory failure can destroy an entire business. If anything remains, it can then be taxed away.
And, just for good measure, the unincorporated landlord is still treated as a passive investor for tax purposes. Incorporate the business and the extraction simply shifts to employment taxes, while future capital values are ring-fenced for later plucking.
It has all been done in plain sight, under both Conservative and Labour administrations. Welcome to this country’s new economic model: not one designed to encourage enterprise and build businesses, but one designed to regulate, appropriate and ultimately extract the value created through decades of work, investment and risk.