United Kingdom
December 16, 2021
PayProp Rent Report

Wales works with landlords to house homeless

Go back to blogs page
Back

The Welsh government is paying private landlords to house homeless tenants – but so far, uptake has been low.

As part of the £30m Ending Homeless Action Plan, local authorities in Wales are offering private landlords guaranteed rent and money towards renovations if they take on tenants who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. 

By paying rent directly to landlords, Welsh authorities have answered one of the most common objections landlords have to taking on tenants receiving benefits. The housing element of Universal Credit is not paid directly to the landlord by default, leaving them at risk of arrears.

But even with a rent guarantee in place, few landlords have volunteered since trials began in February. At the start of December, only 24 properties were registered with the programme. While rent payments are guaranteed, the rent offered is set at just 90% of the Local Housing Allowance rate – often far below market rents.

If the Welsh government is to reduce homelessness, they will need to get a lot more private landlords on board. Activists warn that homelessness is on the rise after the end of the eviction ban in England, and Wales is also facing an acute housing crisis amid supply shortages, rising prices and high demand for second homes.

Other lettings industry headlines

Agency switches to electric cars and wins industry eco-award – Letting Agent Today

ARLA Conference sparks hot debate over Section 21 – Property Industry Eye

Shock figures show 40% of agency roles proving hard to fill – The Negotiator


Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Subscribe
Subscribe to our blog and we will keep you informed of new market reports, blog posts, product and industry news

Interested in hearing more about their stories? Here are a few more of our client videos.

Carrie Alliston, Hunters
Ximena Davidson, East Vista Management
David Summerton, Harcourts Summerton
Dave Votta, Votta Sales & Lettings
Pascual Candia, Venecan Property Management
Chris Lesky, PADRentals
Robert Budd, New Forest Rentals
Mark Shanta, Shanta Residential
Paul Stevens, Just Property
Ellie Bell-Jenks, Dourish & Day
Shannon Lesky, PADRentals
Charlie Green, Hunters

You might also like