Hi Open Rent forum… I am a young people’s Housing Coordinator- I would love to be able to get prospective tenants connected with Landlords with available properties to rent. How can I make sure that Landlords are responsible and safe to recommend to prospective tenants? Mostly looking at shared housing options or one bedroom independent accommodation. Our clients already have tenancy related support around them and are looking for accommodation now
First step might be to talk to agents because they often have a good and longer term relationship with LLs. Bad LLs are bad for their business so…
There’s a page about avoiding LL scams
What do you mean by ‘tenancy related support around them’ ? Benefits? Agree with @tatemono you may be best talking to some local agents who may know LLs interested in housing your types of clients
You can obviously check if a LL is a member of a LL association such as nrla
If you are part of a local housing authority you can access the national database of rogue LLs
Source: GOV.UK https://share.google/5Ti0amo8S0BaW2cjP
In London there’s a database of LLs who’ve been fined etc https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/housing-and-land/renting-home/check-landlord-or-agent
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that’s helpful @david240 thank you for the links. Tenancy related support refers to practical and financial support from the local authority to assist with sustaining tenancy training, rent guarantee, arranging direct payments from housing element etc. The difficulty sometimes with using agents is that the ‘estate agent’ rents for one bed independent dwellings are often unaffordable for young people and often don’t feature shared living
@jess.beattie if you are looking at places which would be HMOs (or are in areas where a LA has selective licensing this may apply too) you can
- ask LL what their extra responsibilities are
- check with the LA if they have a license
Link here
Renter in London? A new tool lets you check if your landlord needs a licence – and you could be owed £1,000s https://share.google/h7p0DgUZULCjyriDo
Or “Search directly on your local council’s website for their “Public Register of Licensed HMOs”. Many councils provide an online, searchable database, while others require you to view it in person or request a copy for a small fee.”
The other thing that springs to mind is speak to whomever in your council or local social services deals with fostering. There could be people who’ve applied to be fosterers who could offer ‘lodger’ (landlord live in) type arrangements and who of course will have been checked out for their suitability as foster parents anyway. Your support could give them opportunities to show they can be good at providing safe secure accommodation as a first step or help them afford the extra cost of fostering? Joined up government! Sorry if ridiculously obvious.
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While this may seem a wise course of action, as a former foster carer (who now can’t foster because of becoming an adoptive parents of kids with needs that demand more than we can give) please, please pause to think how this will dilute the scant and dwindling fostering resources that exist!
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@tatemono that’s a very fair point. My suggestion was of course to discuss - could be a non -option if fosterers anyway don’t want the hassle/responsibilities of being a LL. It might make it easier for some fosterers tho.
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Training and assessment for foster carers is demanding and the legal implications are also daunting esp for care of teens who can make unfounded allegations against you (happened to lots of completely innocent carers who we know). Add to that the legislation involved in being a LL (which many foster carers will be completely ignorant of) and it’s highly unlikely that they’d want to consider it.
But you never know…
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When you applied for the role of a Young Persons Housing Co-Ordinator was there not an expectation that you would know the answer to your question or if not your employer to provide the correct guidance other than to search forums on the internet?
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that feels a tad harsh - which of us know perfectly how to do all aspects of a new job at interview? Anyway being willing to ask stakeholders’ advice and draw on their experiences and expertise is usually considered a good trait.
@jess.beattie don’t be put off, keep on asking..
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Thank you @Martin41 I was asking the question to get responses on an open rent forum to gauge how can I make sure that Landlords on open rent would be suitable to recommend that young people enter into contracts with - given the state of the housing crisis and the ‘options’ that young people have when starting out in terms of housing I thought I would diversify from the usual routes and see what the consensus was from less traditional landlords who have moved away from lettings agents. I can see that open rent vets tenants but not landlords. I was hoping for some responses around self regulation and good practice. My job, as you can imagine involves pragmatism and lateral thinking and the best way to do that is to stay curious.
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“I can see that open rent vets tenants but not landlords”
As far as I’m aware Openrent doesn’t as such ‘vet’ tenants in any way at all - any potential tenant can reply to any listing. OR offers them the chance.to be 'verified ’ by paying a 10 fee
Source: OpenRent Verified Tenant | OpenRent
tho I doubt anybody pays any attention to that. And OR offers referencing services to LLs as an add on fee. (30.per tenant).
Source: OpenRent https://share.google/KcCSt9ucK3sMpDagM
Openrent do claim to vet LLs but don’t reveal details. See this thread
How does Open Rent vet their landlords - OpenRent Chat - OpenRent Landlord & Tenant Forum How does Open Rent vet their landlords - #8 by Sam - OpenRent Chat - OpenRent Landlord & Tenant Forum
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There’s also this site that allows tenants to rate landlords - https://www.marksoutoftenancy.com/ which I’ve used in the past
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