A new initiative offering private landlords £5,000 to £25,000 to let their properties through a council has been given the go ahead.

Under the Welsh Government’s ‘Leasing Scheme Wales’ the Neath Port Talbot council will lease properties from private sector landlords and sub-let the properties to those it has a duty to protect from homelessness. 

In addition the scheme will provide an extra intervention to tackle empty properties and poor housing conditions in the private sector that can adversely affect local communities.

The intention is to lease up to 82 properties in Neath Port Talbot by the end of March 2027 starting with four by March 2023 and increasing each year, with funding for the scheme being in place for an additional five years until 2032.

Under the scheme, councils will take on specific obligations in relation to the maintenance of properties, the rent being paid to the owners. A renovation incentive can also be offered to landlords where properties don’t meet minimum property standards or to improve the property’s Energy Performance Certificate rating. 

The renovation incentive will be a grant of up to £5,000 

Empty properties can be brought into the scheme and will be eligible for higher renovation incentives. Empty properties may be eligible for a grant up to a maximum of £25,000 although grants of more than £10,000 will require approval from Welsh Government. 

Renovation incentives will only be offered to landlords who sign up to the scheme. 

A council spokesperson says: “The scheme will help tackle homelessness by making more properties available and the aim is to improve the quality of private sector rental homes.  It’s essential that tenants receive the support they need, and this scheme will provide that.”