Landlords - we need you!

What we need from you...

Access to housing particularly one-bedroom flats allows us to support more of our service users across the Liverpool City Region who are waiting for properties.

This is our criteria:

• 1-bedroom flats (there may be occasions where we can consider 2 bedrooms)
• Rents to be within LHA (there may be occasions where slightly over can be affordable)
• No Houses of Multiple Accommodation: We require self-contained accommodation with no shared facilities.
• Security of Tenure: We would ideally like a 12-month tenancy – this can be secured/assured, but we are unable to consider Licence Agreements.
• As a Combined Authority we are not able to provide deposits or act as a Guarantor, but we can access Local Authority Bond Schemes subject to availability.
• Accommodation that is dispersed. We prefer not to concentrate high numbers of service users, with multiple and complex needs, within the same block or street. However, depending on the property, we may be able to consider a small block compromising 2 flats if doing so would not pose any risks to the safety of two individuals who have chosen to live in proximity.
• Unfortunately, as we are a Combined Authority, we cannot consider lease arrangements. We simply require the option of a tenancy for each individual we are seeking to house.

Any property rented by our Service Users must be in line with Local Housing Allowance rates. These vary slightly across different Local Authority areas depending on where you are…

What's my current Local Housing Allowance Rate?

What we can offer...

As part of a package of intensive wraparound support, our Housing First tenants receive daily contact and regular visits from a team of staff in order to pre-empt and manage any tenancy-related or other issues.

Support can be scaled-up as needed and tenants have access to support every day from 08:00-20:00, as well as our emergency Out-Of-Hours On- Call service. The support is for an indefinite period, so tenants do not have to manage their tenancy independently until they are ready to do so.

Our standard procedure when setting up a new tenancy is to request for rent payments to be made direct to the landlord. This has allowed us to avoid tenants accruing arrears. The Housing First team work with tenants to manage their income and expenditure effectively. This includes support to keep on top of utilities, bills, and property upkeep. We maintain regular communication with landlords in order to update them on any changes with the tenancy although the Combined Authority doesn’t take on any property management functions, so that would need to be carried out by yourself or another agent.

In terms of how working together could benefit your organisation, Housing First has:

• No evictions since the start of the pilot in 2019
• 88% of tenancies are still in place
• Stable rental income
• Managed risks – safeguarding and incidents are dealt with by Housing First team
• Reduced voids and fewer abandonments
• Personalisation grant for properties
• Reduced and managed ASB incidents involving our service users in communities
• 83% of clients are fully engaged with support from our service