The National Landlords Association is continuing to play hardball with charities by urging them to think more like landlords if they really want to get the homeless into private rented accommodation.
NLA chief executive Richard Lambert says that a reducing number of landlords are prepared to house vulnerable and homeless tenants, largely thanks to recent reductions to Local Housing Allowance rates and the removal of direct payments.
He says charities should focus their efforts on three main areas:
- Pre-tenancy assurances: Most homeless people will not pass standard referencing checks so what can be done do to provide landlords with as much knowledge as possible, so they know who they are dealing with and whether they can cope he asks.
- Mitigating risk: What can be provided in the way of deposit bonds or financial incentives that would provide the equivalent sense of reassurance that the financial risk is covered in the worst case scenario
- Support for sustaining existing tenancies: How and what kind of support can be offered from the very start, and throughout, so the tenant understands what is expected of them and knows what to do if they encounter any issues or difficulties
He says it is not enough simply to get a roof over someone's head and consider the job done, and homeless agencies must be able to provide the assurances and safeguards that landlords seek, which means thinking about their needs as well as the tenant's.
Deposit bonds that mitigate some of the financial risk; support and training throughout the tenancy for both landlord and tenant; and more in-depth tenant referencing so the landlord has an idea of who they are dealing with. These are all examples of things that would go some way to increasing confidence he suggests.
In recent months the NLA has disputed claims by charities such as Shelter and the Citizens Advice Bureaux regarding property conditions, rent levels and evictions in the private rented sector.
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