Hastings council has launched its own letting agency called Letstart Letting.

The authority says its aim is to help make accommodation accessible and affordable for local households struggling to secure housing, and to attract private landlords to ‘hassle-free’ letting. 

There is no contractual arrangement between the property owner and the tenant, as the council says it carries full landlord responsibility including tenant finding, tenant sign up, rent collection, some repairs and terminating tenancies.

“Once the council takes on the management of a property, the Letstart Letting agency team will find suitable tenants and carry out all necessary checks while offering a guaranteed lease period of up to three years. Rent will be paid to the landlord even if the property is empty” says a council spokesman.

“Throughout the tenancy, the team will deal with the day-to-day care of the landlord’s property and will take every reasonable measure to ensure that it’s protected and treated well. The team will act upon all emergency situations and liaise with tenant and landlord on repairs. The property will be returned to the landlord at the end of the lease in exactly the same condition it was taken on – minus fair wear and tear – and repairs will be done to address any tenant damage” says the spokesman.