A council says a new bond scheme designed to increase the quality and availability of affordable housing for private renters across its district.
The scheme is run by Cherwell council and is open to anyone who owns a property, and allows them to apply for a Landlord Home Improvement Grant to undertake works such as refitting kitchens or bathrooms, energy efficiency upgrades, and conversion to shared housing.
In return, the landlords must let the properties at affordable rents through the Cherwell Bond Scheme.
Councillor Nicholas Mawer, Portfolio Holder for Housing, says: “This is a great way of supporting people requiring decent accommodation and helping landlords invest in improving the quality of their properties.
“It is an excellent opportunity for landlords. Not only will they be eligible for an improvement grant, but they’ll also receive peace of mind as the council will provide support with finding tenants, organising viewings for their property and a deposit bond worth 10 weeks of rent.”
Landlords will also receive what the council cup calls “ongoing support” during a tenancy, including help with gas and fire safety and a £1,000 one-off payment for an initial 12-month tenancy agreement.
Landlords can find further information online at Cherwell Bond Scheme and by contacting bondscheme@cherwell-dc.gov.uk
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I think this is Brilliant to force landlords to let at affordable Rents.
After all that the Authorities have done & implemented to make Rents as unaffordable as possible,
Er, no thanks. I will sell up before handing over my property to any incompetent bankrupt landlord-hating council.
This particular Council may be well meaning but I can see the bigger councils forcing landlords to become social landlords by this method. Then the corporate landlords will be allowed to take the better off tenants.
That would be the end of the PRS.
Improvement grants have always been a waste of time, as soon as the contractor finds out there is a grant up go his prices cheaper to forget the grant and simply pay for the improvement yourself, been there done that got the tee shirt
I agree.
Glasgow City Council give 50% grants on work over £20k.
One block of flats needed £8k of roof work done and one of my idiot Co owners wanted to do far more to get over £20k to get the 50% grant. The work would need to be specified and overseen by surveyors to qualify for the grant and adding 20% to the bill.
I pointed out I would rather pay 100% of my share of £8000 than 50% of my share of £25000.
Another drawback of Council grants is that each property can only get one grant, so it should be kept in reserve for something huge and unaffordable which is a realistic risk in a tenement built in 1880, even although it's far better built than modern buildings.
Absolutely correct, there is less than no advantage to these grant schemes.
This is why the grant needs to be kept secret! The landlord should commission the work as if it's on a self-pay basis, and silently incorporate any specification required by the council. The council can validate the work done - which should be happening anyway through RdSAP and Building Control - but on the QT when the builder isn't there. And then the grant is quietly paid to the LL to help pay the contractor. It should be simple, but if the council insists on stamping its mark over everything, up will go the prices.
I think I'd be giving that a miss, thanks all the same.
We’ve been all poked in the eye by the various mobs and media, but now they find some cash for the eyepatch, so they must be desperate.
I think we’re all walking off to save our other eye.
Now Gove is Really taking the pees, how about his mates the Big Boys that he’s looking after. Like modular cabins in the Sky in Greenford & Wembley £1500.00 pm for a Studio, mostly £2’000.00 pm for one bedroom & £2’400.00 pm for a 2 bedroom Flat. I have 4 Bedrooms houses with Parking for far less than their 2 bedroom Flats but he must squeeze me ?, hypocrisy.
I wonder how many tenants on benefits can afford that?!
Depends what they call affordable rents. And what else will they have a say so in . Length of tenancy . Amount we can increase it after its come to an end??? And how will it left .
Bottom line is Councils simply can’t be trusted. Nah never!
I had a friend who did something similar where the LA paid for updates to his properties in exchange for allowing the Council to put refugees in. The LA totally furnished the property even down to providing knives and forks - within a short time he found his properties empty and completely stripped. They'd even taken the copper pipes, central heating boiler and copper water tanks.
Yep that's what the scum do
Has he learned his lesson?
Don't care what the council wants to give me it's still a big fat NO WAY.
Do not trust any council aided scheme at all in return for everything you have got. We have already paid a lot for our assets and stupid £10 or £20k is nothing, as they are asking for controlling our property forever.
I suggest council invest their money to rent affordable properties to their tenants, as it is their responsibility. That need to pass on their responsibility to us. Only way for them will be to purchase my property at a market rate. Then they can control the rent, maintain the property and administer their own tenants.
On Vibha's point, with respect to renting to the council, the relevant provision is Section 209 of the Housing Act 1996:
Discharge of interim duties: arrangements with private landlord
(1)This section applies where in pursuance of any of their housing functions under section 188, 190, 200 or 204(4) (interim duties) a local housing authority make arrangements with a private landlord to provide accommodation.
(2)A tenancy granted to the applicant in pursuance of the arrangements cannot be an assured tenancy before the end of the period of twelve months beginning with—
(a)the date on which the applicant was notified of the authority’s decision under section 184(3) or 198(5); or
(b)if there is a review of that decision under section 202 or an appeal to the court under section 204, the date on which he is notified of the decision on review or the appeal is finally determined,unless, before or during that period, the tenant is notified by the landlord (or in the case of joint landlords, at least one of them) that the tenancy is to be regarded as an assured shorthold tenancy or an assured tenancy other than an assured shorthold tenancy.]
So I believe that after 12 months the council can give the tenants a secure tenancy. The Renters Reform Bill refers to this section.
Ellie: I take this as even more reason not to trust any council!
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