Many tenants will not be familiar with their rights and responsibilities as PRS tenants and PRS schemes can fulfill a valuable function by ensuring that they are properly informed. There is also a wide array of practical information that can help make settling into a tenancy easier and more likely to succeed, from information on local amenities to advice on budgeting.
Your Passport to Renting a Private Home is a short guide developed by OSW and the London Housing Foundation for anyone who is making the transition from homelessness or hostel accommodation to renting accommodation in the PRS.
The
Direct Gov website has lots of useful information for tenants and includes sections on:
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Private renting - this
section includes advice on: deposit protection; what tenants' repairing obligations are; health and safety legislation; and how to deal with problem landlords, harrassment and illegal eviction.
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The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) - this section explains how LHA, the new way of calculating Housing Benefit (HB), works. If you are renting a property or a room from a private landlord and you are on a low income, you may be able to claim LHA.
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Support and safety in your home - this section gives advice on things like how to find housing support online; fire prevention; animal and pet welfare; and general safety at home.
Shelter have produced an introductory guide to the law for all housing options in England & Wales, including the private rented sector. Shelter have also pruduced guidance for tenants on what to do when a tenancy is coming to an end. Scotland specific information can be found on a different part of Shelter's website.
The LHA Direct website has been developed to enable tenants renting accommodation from a private landlord to calculate the possible amount of Housing Benefit available to them from their local authority.
If you know of any further guidance or resources relating to supporting homeless people to move into the PRS, please email us at
private.renting@crisis.org.uk