Working with private landlords

In the absence of ample social housing stock, for now, private landlords have a pivotal role to play in providing safe and secure housing to renters who would in more preferable situations reside in suitable social housing. For us, part of this solution means challenging the stigmas held around both private landlords and social housing renters.

Landlords have had a bad press in recent years, portrayed as money hungry non-caring individuals with financial goals at the top of their agenda. Whilst properties are an investment, we have met and worked with landlords are ethically minded and want to do social good in difficult times; they understand that they can successfully provide housing to those who need it without compromising their own personal objectives.

Likewise, the stigma around social housing has been fuelled by the media and worsened by reduced investment and upkeep of social housing stock by the government over the last few decades – what was once a perfectly normal and acceptable way to live amongst all levels of society, education and backgrounds, it is now believed only to suitable for those who are desperate. With this change has come numerous assumptions that low income or vulnerable renters live off the state and do not keep up with rent payments or look after properties. In our experience this is more than often simply not true. With so much more at stake if accommodation is lost, these renters are more than often highly motivated, reliable tenants. Many of our clients do face challenges that could make it more difficult for them to maintain a tenancy, which is why we offer support to reduce the likelihood of this occurring.

We do this by providing low income, vulnerable renters with strategies and support to optimise their personal situations so they are in a better position to successfully sustain their tenancy, This is turn offers reassurances to landlords.

Our interventions include working with renters to get a new tenancy off to a good start by helping them with:

• Budgeting and financial management
• Understanding their rights and responsibilities as a renter
• Mental health, physical health and wellbeing
• Making meaningful connection with other services for ongoing support

Where a tenancy is coming to an end, we help both parties to make this happen as smoothly as possibly by:

• Supporting the negotiation of end of tenancies in a safe, secure way
• Addressing rent arrears or repayments where possible
• Supporting landlords to understand Council processes, housing benefit payments and local schemes that assist them in renting to low-income renters.