If you are homeless or work with homeless people, you can use this website to find out about
PRS schemes in London. Contact details, and information about who the schemes have been set up to help, are included.
Below is some further information that you should consider if you are looking for a home to rent.
Rent levels and the Local Housing Allowance
Despite a common perception that all accommodation in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) is too expensive, the truth is that the cost varies greatly because the PRS is so diverse. While there is some expensive bur poor quality accommodation there is also some very affordable and good quality PRS accommodation.
If you are unemployed or on a low income, there will parts of London where the rent may be too high. The newly introduced
Local Housing Allowance (LHA), which replaces the Housing Benefit system for private renting, is set at a level that is meant to enable you to cover the rent of suitable accommodation. If the rent of the property is less than the LHA figure, you can keep up to £15 of the difference. If the rent is more than the LHA figure, you will have to make up the shortfall. Even if you can afford to make up the shortfall, you will need to carefully consider whether you have enough money left over for your other costs.
The more areas you are willing to consider living in, the greater your chances of finding somewhere to live. As a general guide, the more affordable accommodation is usually in London's outer zones, especially towards the east and south.
Working while living in the PRS
Many people are concerned about whether they will be able to pay the rent if they start working.
While each situation is different, in most cases you will be (at least slightly) better off financially by working than not. Do remember that you will not automatically lose all your LHA because you’ve start working. Instead, the amount of LHA you can claim will reduce depending on how much you are earning.
A lot of Local Authority websites offer online benefits calculators, some of which are easier to use than others. You can find a good simple one to use on the homelessness chairty
Off the Streets and into Work's website by
clicking here.
While calculators are useful, the situation is quite complicated, and you should get proper advice from Jobcentre Plus or from another support agency you might be in contact with, if you want to know more precisely what your financial situation will be if you start working. But also be wary of advice from staff who say that you simply can't afford to work. Make sure that they have actually done a thorough financial calculation of your individual situation before you accept such advice.
Paying the deposit and first month’s rent
Most landlords will require new tenants to pay a deposit equivalent to one month’s rent as soon as the tenancy begins, alongside the first month’s rent payment.
If you are claiming Housing Benefit, which is paid in arrears (and which can take a few months to come though when a new claim is set up), starting a PRS tenancy would therefore be difficult if not impossible without the provision of ‘rent deposit schemes’ (RDS) which you can find out about by
clicking here.
It is worth remembering, whether you use a RDS or not, that if you are unemployed you can also make a claim for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) from Jobcentre Plus to help pay the deposit.
Tenancy Deposit Protection
Also, landlords are no longer allowed to hold your deposit. Instead, a new Tenancy Deposit Protection scheme means they now have to place your deposit in one of three Government-approved schemes. Your landlord must tell you within 14 days of you providing your deposit which scheme they have placed it in. You will be able to contact the scheme to find out if his deposit has been protected.
What this all means is that at the end of your tenancy, your landlord cannot simply withhold your deposit.
Each scheme will contain an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) service. If a dispute arises at the end of the tenancy, provided both you and the landlord agree to use the ADR service, the ADR’s decision will be binding, and there will be no recourse to the courts. If you or your landlord does not agree to make use of the ADR service, then the dispute will have to go to court.
More information
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/rentingandletting/privaterenting/tenancydepositprotection/
www.arla.co.uk/info/deposits_tenants.htm
Flatsharing
Many people look forward to renting a flat on their own so that they can have their own private space. While living on your own has some advantages (e.g. privacy, having things the way you want them!), it is well worth considering sharing a flat. This has its own advantages – perhaps the main ones are that it will bring down the costs of renting considerably, and can actually be enjoyable. Some people find that as much they look forward to living on their own, they end up finding it isolating and lonely. You do need to think carefully about who you could live with and get on with. And if you find the right person, flatsharing can be really fun.
Where to look for PRS accommodation
While this website focuses on the role of homelessness agencies, Local Authorities and housing associations on supporting people to access PRS accommodation, there are many ways of finding a home to rent in the PRS. Below are some of the routes you may want to explore.
Specialist PRS access schemes (including Rent Deposit Schemes)
Click here to find out about a range of specialist PRS schemes in London, each of which aims to support people who are homeless or facing homelessness to secure accommodation in the PRS.
‘High Street’ lettings agencies
There are a number of agencies advertised in media. They will often ask you for references, but they are not allowed to charge you just for registering with them. You might have to pay a fee once they have found accommodation for you, on top of the deposit and rent in advance. If there is a Rent Deposit Scheme in your area, they might be able to help you to pay for accommodation that you find.
However, bear in mind that most High St lettings agencies will not deal with people who are unemployed or claiming Housing Benefit. It is because of this that specialist PRS access schemes have been developed for people who might be (at risk of becoming) homeless and/or unemployed.
Shops
Newsagents and supermarkets have notice boards which advertise PRS accommodation. Many of these will be more affordable than properties you would find through a High Street lettings agency.
Newspapers and websites
Publications such as Loot advertise available accommodation on a daily basis. They also have a website -
www.loot.com. Other websites include www.moveflat.com and
www.gumtree.com. Again, because a letting agent most likely will not be involved, the rents might be more affordable.
The Guardian on a Thursday and the Evening Standard on a Wednesday also feature many ads for available rooms and flats. Across London there are many local papers area which advertise accommodation in their areas.
Your local library should hold hard copies other publications.
A weekly flatshare list is available from the Capital Radio reception area at 30 Leicester Square.
Getting support while in the PRS
Your resettlement agency
If you were helped to secure PRS accommodation from a hostel that you lived in or from a homelessness charity, they may be able to provide additional advice or support to you. In the short term (for about six months after you move into your flat) they can often provide ‘floating support’ i.e. a worker who will visit you in your home to help you sort out any day to day problems and also help plan for the future.
Your Local Authority
Your local authority, commonly known as the council, might also be able to provide support to you if you need help in maintaining your tenancy. How you go about trying to access this support will depend on your circumstances:
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If you are in PRS accommodation that the Local Authority helped you to get, then you should have a housing officer. Talk to him/her if you feel you need support.
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If you are in PRS accommodation that a charity or a resettlement agency helped you to get, as mentioned above, they will sometimes be able to provide support for up to six months into your tenancy. Towards the end of this six months, they should be able to liase with your Local Authority, so that the responsibility for providing support switches over to the Local Authority. Speak to your Key Worker or Resettlement Worker to find out what the situation is, because it does vary a lot between different Local Authorities.
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If you are in PRS accommodation that you found yourself (and you haven't had any prior contact with a resettlement agency, charity or the Local Authority) but still feel you need support to maintain your tenancy, then it is still possible, although maybe more difficult, to get support. Contact your local authority housing department and discuss your situation with them. Another thing you might want to do is discuss your support needs with your GP, who may be able to write a letter that you can take to your Local Authority housing department. The support available in different boroughs does vary a lot, so it is difficult to give any more specific advice here.
Law Centres
If you need legal advice about your tenancy then a Law Centre might be able to help you.
Law Centres provide independent legal advice and representation to people without charging a fee. They employ specialists in areas of ‘social welfare’ law and help individuals and local groups with problems.
Law Centres operate in the same way as a high street lawyer’s firm, in that they employ solicitors to provide a high quality professional legal service. However, Law Centres’ expertise lies with solving everyday problems, which come under the general heading of ‘social welfare law’.
To find out where your nearest law centre is, visit
www.lawcentres.org.uk/directory/location/London/.
Citizens Advice
The Citizens Advice service helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free information and advice from over 3,000 locations.
Citizens Advice and each Citizens Advice Bureau are registered charities. The majority of their advisers are trained volunteers.
To find out where your nearest CAB is visit
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvice.htm#searchbox.