In a ground-breaking move, Torbay Council has initiated a comprehensive campaign to curb homelessness in its region, challenging the norm by discouraging eviction for tenants facing arrears or engaging in anti-social behaviour.
The council is reaching out to both landlords and tenants, encouraging them to seek assistance and advice if they encounter difficulties in maintaining their tenancies. The primary goal of the campaign is to support tenants who are at risk of losing their homes due to issues like rent arrears or anti-social behaviour.
Housing officers from Torbay Council are ready to provide guidance on legal rights, benefits, budgeting, and even mediate with landlords to find amicable solutions. Councillor Hayley Tranter, the cabinet member for adult and community services, emphasized the urgency of the initiative, stating, “We have seen a rise in homelessness and temporary accommodation in the past few weeks, and we want to prevent this as much as possible. Our message is clear: save the tenancy, don’t serve notice.”
Notably, Torbay Council’s campaign extends its support to landlords struggling to find or retain tenants. The council is promoting its tenancy matching scheme, designed to connect landlords with ‘tenancy ready’ renters who have successfully passed affordability and suitability checks. This initiative also includes providing deposit and rent in advance, ongoing support, and a six-month review for each tenancy.
Highlighting additional services, Torbay Council’s private sector development officer can assist with:
- Tenancy rescue service: Offering advice for both landlords and tenants, up-to-date information on legislation, links and partnerships with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), direct contact details via phone and email, and tenancy sustainment.
- Tenant ready service: Conducting affordability and suitability assessments, obtaining previous landlord references, facilitating local housing allowance payments to landlords, offering budgeting advice, providing tenant and landlord guides, organizing accompanied viewings, conducting tenant matching, and arranging one-to-one meetings with landlords, agents, and tenants.
As Torbay Council takes the lead in this innovative approach to address homelessness, experts predict that other councils across the country may soon follow suit, recognizing the need for proactive measures to preserve tenancies and combat the escalating issue of homelessness.