Mansfield District Council is extending a successful scheme that works with private landlords to help reduce homelessness in the district.
The Private Rental Access Scheme supports people registered with the council as homeless, and living in temporary accommodation, by funding rental deposits and first advanced rent payment to private landlords.
The council has also been working with a private company, Rent Guarantor, which offers an insurance-backed service, providing extra security for landlords for rent and legal proceedings should a tenant fall into rent arrears.
The scheme has helped 80 people, including 49 children, move off the homeless register or temporary accommodation, and into private rented accommodation in its first year, and has enabled two people to move from supported housing to independent living.
The total amount paid to landlords as rent in advance and deposit payments has been £134,081.14 and the total amount paid to Rent Guarantor has been £12,668.48
Now the council has agreed to extend the scheme until 31 March 2027, with a budget of £150,000 from the government-funded Homelessness and Prevention Grant to the council. It is being delivered as part of the Mansfield Homelessness and Prevention Strategy 2024-29.
Among those helped by the scheme is Keeley Williams, a single mum of four children, aged from nine to 20, who now lives in a private rented house in Mansfield with her nine-year-old daughter and her 17-year-old son, thanks to the scheme.
She said: “I became homeless because my landlord was selling our home so we went into the council’s temporary accommodation. But I didn’t qualify for a council home because I have rent arrears debts.
“The private rented scheme has helped me so much. The council has been brilliant in helping me look for a home and if it wasn’t for them and this scheme, I would still be homeless. I will be forever grateful to everyone who helped us.”
All of the properties in the scheme are checked by the council to ensure they are safe, secure and suitable, to ensure the maximum chance of a tenancy succeeding. The council also contacts all tenants three times in the first six months to make sure they are managing their tenancy well.
Berzan Akturk, who has one four-bedroom property he rents out in Mansfield, is among the 34 private landlords and letting agents who have signed up to the scheme.
He said: “This scheme is great as the council provides landlords with a huge variety of tenants allowing landlords to choose who they think is a best match for their property.
“Also, partnering with Rent Guarantor gives landlords that extra peace of mind which is also another great benefit.
“I think landlords generally have a negative stigma around them. However joining the scheme and helping the council with their housing supply for tenants in need, definitely makes me feel better about the work I do.
“I would 100 per cent recommend the scheme to any landlords thinking of joining. It has great incentives, as well as great general support from the council throughout the whole process. I will definitely be utilising the scheme again myself on new projects.”
Cllr Anne Callaghan, Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: “Sadly, there is just not enough council housing available to help everyone in need and increasingly the council has had to use bed and breakfast accommodation to help people on the waiting list.
“This is not only costly, it is also far from satisfactory for people waiting to be housed, sometimes for months, especially if they have children.
“However, many people waiting for somewhere to live also lack the funds to pay the deposits for private rented accommodation, along with the first month’s rent in advance, or they have no one who can act as their rent guarantor.
“This is where this scheme can be a game changer. By paying deposits and a rent guarantor insurance, we can get homeless people out of temporary accommodation and into suitable housing much more quickly.”
In Mansfield district there are 25 households now in interim accommodation waiting for permanent homes. There are currently 4,911 on the housing waiting list with 186 being in Band One, the highest priority.
Landlords interested in joining the scheme or wanting more details can email the Private Rented Access team (link opens in email app) or call 07934159405.