A council is making an urgent appeal to private landlords with vacant, or soon-to-be vacant, three or four-bedroom family homes for rent.
A spokesperson for Epsom & Ewell council in Surrey, which is working on the issue with a local refugee network, says: “Our thoughts are with the Afghan people who have been forced to flee their homes and now face an uncertain future.
“These Afghan families have put themselves at risk for the UK and now it’s the UK’s turn to help them resettle in our communities. We’re now looking for properties in which families can be housed and start to build a new life in Epsom and Ewell.
“We will not use properties intended for local families in housing need to rehouse refugees, which is why we are making this urgent appeal to private landlords.
“Afghan families are traditionally larger than those in England, which gives us some challenges within the borough in finding suitable properties”.
The required properties need to be self-contained, in good condition, located within the borough boundaries and have good transport links.
In return the council will offer a package to landlords which includes rent in advance plus a deposit. The council will also provide what it calls “wrap round support” to help the family resettle in the area, manage their tenancy and help them find employment.
A government scheme funds local authorities for refugees. The scheme supports the families to settle in their new community, including placing the children in local schools.
Anyone who can help is asked to contact epsomrefugeenetwork@gmail.com.
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4 Bed room houses are normally furnished and let to students, as such the rents are very high.
I tried to offer a property to the local council for one of mine after the appeal a few months ago … no response!!
No. Too much risk on the landlord - large families are very high wear and tear not covered by bond. They will always have to claim benefits. How is the father going to be able to afford the market rent and feed large family.
Talk to us when you can offer a commercial lease arrangement with break clause. Fully repairing. Be interesting to see real costs of doing this type of tenancy after 5 years. S’alright We already know why you don’t offer this
Agreed, if these councils really want to help then put the right package together, don't take private landlords for fools here.
Why do they want large Families that they can’t afford and expect everyone else to rear and educate them, anyone could do that. I think they can get free rubber on NHS.
I see hard working couples who only have 2 kids because it’s all they can afford, don’t get Children allowance (combined wages over £50k) but contribute to it, for most part pay the nursery fee side by side with others there from benefits, Pay for School Uniforms and meals, etc,
That’s alright then stay in bed my making them.
What are you talking about? These people expected to bring their children up in their own country but are unable to do so because they had to flee for their lives because they helped our armed forces.
They are likely to become productive members of our society but just need a helping hand to start and we owe them that.
Tell a family that is from the UK about this scheme when they are in some hostel and see what they think about it. Im sure you know my views on uk renting and we already have problems with expensive rentals on short hold tenancies as it is but the council want 4 or 5 bed self contained homes for refuges, dont we all
The Council clearly state they do not want to take houses from uk families, that is why they are appealing direct to LLs.
More racist clap trap.
They ain't getting zilch from me......
You know Dave I think this is the first time I’m in agreement with you. However the narrative is that they helped the British forces (when we invaded their country with others) Me thinks there seems to be a lot of help looking at the amount of people evacuated. I just think would have been easier all round if a safe zone was placed in Afghanistan for a long period. Easier more sensible
I also agree with David on this one, we should be looking after our own first, these people have many children which they were unable to provide for, I find that to be totally irresponsible having large families without the means to provide for them properly , I have 3 children and would have had a fourth had my wife not been ill, the difference here is that I always had the means to provide for all of them properly with any outside help
This anti refugee rhetoric is racist claptrap and needs to be called out as such. How on earth do you expect us to create a safe zone in Afghanistan? That’s what we were trying to do for the last 20 years and failed.
These people saved British lives and we owe them a helping hand.
Sorry Tricia but clearly we disagree on this one, maybe Mr Blair should be housing these people, we should never have gone into Afganistan in the first place
We have Global Warming so why do we need all this Insulation, if we had Global Cooling I would understand it and need it to keep warm.
David has a point definitely but as regards high Rents the Council’s have been loading on costs to line their pockets never a penny cost on them all passed on to LL’s and obviously forcing up Rents. The trick is they pretend to be the Tenants friend while driving up Rents not to mention the Treasury does rather well out of it to,
Not a chance I would fall for this, rent to rent - Add into this the possible EPC C and all the other draconian attacks we have had in the last few years...........good luck to all the local authorities finding enough landlords still with properties to let, you reap what you sow.
Rent 2 Rent so wide spread in London, most have their office hidden in industrial Est if they have one, very little said about it everyone keeping quiet as the participants can’t talk, some even supply rooms to Council’s for single sharers. It a gold mine for the Agents and other doing this, they make as much as the LL, own nothing no loan or Mortgage’s to worry about, nothing to loose if it all goes wrong no problem for them LL fall guy.
To night it’s 10 / 11% in London & Edinburgh that is warm and this is January in Winter. What’s all the Insulation for, just turn down the room Thermostat to cut the emissions.
January in years gone by temperatures were freezing, minus, below zero and now we all have had Cavity wall insulation and lofts with 270mm insulation’s for most part thanks to Government Schemes in the past. We don’t need as much artificial heat as in the past. Why would we need EPC ‘C’s now in the light of this different climate it like giving you an umbrella when it’s not raining.
I noticed that as well. So you right what’s everyone’s problem Global warming less gas used - people should be happy result. Gd night Michael
Nobody wanted these wars except the oil companies. Place a windfall tax on oil company profits to pay for the refugees to be housed in a safe 3rd country in the region.
Mr Blair needed them to boost hi inflated ego
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