If you are concerned about someone who you think is rough sleeping, you can send an alert to StreetLink.
Rent Deposit Scheme
Our Rent Deposit Scheme helps bring landlords and tenants together, with our support. We can help tenants to maintain their tenancy by helping with the upfront of renting a property privately.
We assess people in housing need and if they qualify, we can secure a tenancy by:
- paying two month's rent in advance
- paying a five week cash deposit
- making an incentive payment to you for working with us
Your property doesn’t have to be in the Chelmsford area for you to let it through us, although it should be in the surrounding area.
As a council, we have a duty to ensure the rent is affordable. Therefore, we recommend that you set your monthly rent roughly in line with the local housing allowance.
We appreciate that the private rental market is incredibly competitive, which is why we provide cash incentive payments. Unlike a letting agency, we don’t charge you any fees for securing a tenant.
The incentive payment you receive depends on the length of the tenancy.
We pay the equivalent of:
- one month’s rent for a 12 month tenancy
- two month’s rent for a 24 month tenancy
You should treat the tenancy the same as any other private tenancy. We will provide the upfront costs, but the tenancy is between you and your tenant. You will be responsible for any maintenance or repairs.
The tenant will pay rent directly to you and their housing officer will ensure they have applied for or adjusted their benefits. During their tenancy, they can contact our tenancy sustainment officer if they require any further support.
We will be on hand to answer any queries you have during the tenancy. We can also offer help to tenants so they can sustain their tenancy, where possible.
Before we put forward for a tenant for your property, we will carry out Experian and affordability checks. We will not refer anybody that can’t, on the evidence provided, afford the monthly rent.
If you would like to discuss renting your property through the Rent Deposit Scheme, you will need to fill in our enquiry form and tell us:
- your property size
- your property address
- your contact details
If we accept you onto the scheme, you will need to provide:
- a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC, rated E or above)
- a valid Gas Safety Certificate (if applicable)
- a photographic inventory
You should only enquire if you are a landlord looking to rent your property through the Rent Deposit Scheme.