130 Attend Conference on Private Sector Housing Solutions to Homelessness

Monday 7th July 2008

Over 130 private landlords and representatives from local authorities and the voluntary sector attended a Conference on Friday to look at how homelessness can be prevented through greater use of the private rented sector.

The conference was organised by Brighton Housing Trust on behalf of the South East Homelessness Forum. The conference was addressed by Mike Stimpson, President of the National Federation of Residential Landlords and Liam Reynolds from Shelter.

John Holmstrom, BHT Assistant Chief Executive, the conference Chair, said: “We were delighted by the strong interest in the conference and the quality of contributions from those attending. The interest shown demonstrates how, for the south east, the private rented sector is critical to tackling homelessness. Unless we engage landlords effectively, we will achieve little. The conference has produced a rich diversity of ideas and good practice from practitioners across the south east region and sectors. The challenge for us is to convert this into helpful good practice guidance and action plan”.

Mike Stimpson identified matters that deterred landlords from entering the housing benefit market or staying in it including inappropriate enforcement of regulations. He was critical of local authorities where different departments, specifically housing, environmental health and housing benefit did not liaise adequately. He reserved special criticism for planning departments who often failed to engage with anyone and whose decisions were a major block to increased provision.

Mike Stimpson said that landlords would provide good quality accommodation at a market rent. He said, “In return private landlords expect tenants to provide a deposit or rent in advance, to pay their rent on time, to respect the property, and to act responsibly, in other words, no anti-social behaviour”.

He said that local authorities needed to work more closely with private landlords so that landlords are assisted, not frustrated, when dealing with the minority of tenants who caused problems. He said: “It is better for a local authority to rehouse one family where the tenancy is breaking down, allowing another ten families to be satisfactorily housed. The alternative is that the private landlord will not house any homeless families at all”.

Liam Reynolds from Shelter said there has been a relative boom in private letting, with half a million households added in the five years to 2006. The private sector was a popular option, particularly for younger people, as it provided flexibility. At the same time, some found the lack of stability a disadvantage. He said there were good and bad landlords, and good and bad tenants.

He said that tenancies failed primarily due to rent arrears, often caused by problems with housing benefit. The credit crunch has resulted in small and newer entrants in the letting market facing repossession. Often the first a tenant was aware of a problem was when a date for the execution of a bailiffs warrant was advised to them. He called for improved communication between landlords, tenants and the local authorities.

Posted by Kim for BHT (Brighton Housing Trust)