Details have been released of a scheme seeking to encourage private landlords to lease their properties to local councils.
The scheme in Wales is being coordinated by the Welsh Government and has so far won the support of 15 individual councils.
Landlords taking part in the scheme are offered a long term lease of five to 20 years, with guaranteed rental payments for the length of the lease at the relevant Local Housing Allowance rate, less an agreed management fee.
Where necessary, an offer of up to £5000, as a grant, to bring properties up to an agreed standard and/or to increase the EPC rating to level C. Additional grant funding of up to £25,000 is available for empty properties.
The councils also agree to undertake repairs of any damage to the property made by tenants covered, subject to reasonable wear and tear and the landlord’s liability for structural defects. This would form a term of the lease.
There would also be what the Welsh Government calls “a guarantee of appropriate support for tenants, throughout the lifetime of the lease.”
The scheme aims to increase access to, and the affordability of, renting privately in Wales. It is particularly aimed at tenants who are at risk of homelessness and are in receipt of benefits, including Universal Credit.
Councils which have thrown their weight behind the scheme are Blaenau Gwent, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Wrexham.
