NLA Says Homeless Charities Could Do More
Homeless Tenants are too High Risk for Landlords
Direct payments and a reduction in the amount of Housing Benefit have made landlords even less likely to let properties to vulnerable tenants.
“Renting homes is a business and unfortunately many landlords see renting to the homeless as too much of a risk. Very few landlords start letting with the intention of providing a social service and only the experienced landlords are set up to be able to let to this market,” said Richard Lambert.
“It is not enough simply to get a roof over someone’s head and consider the job done – things must be set up from the start so that the tenancy is in the best position to be sustained.”
NLA: Homeless Charities Could Be Doing More
The NLA has come up with three areas that homelessness agencies would do well to focus on the following three areas:
Pre-tenancy assurances – Homeless people won’t have references, so landlords should be given as much information as possible about the tenant so they can make an informed decision.
Mitigating the risk – Can financial incentives be given to reduce the financial risk?
Support for the tenant – Vulnerable tenants need support at the beginning and throughout a tenancy.