Freedom of information response
Privately Rented Housing Support for Care Leavers Privately Rented Housing Support for Care Leavers
Please may you provide me with answers to the following questions:
1. As of 21st March 2024, does your local authority offer to act as a rent guarantor for care-experienced young people (e.g. care leavers) to access when seeking to rent a privately rented property?
• Yes
• No
2. If ‘Yes’ to Question 1, what is the eligibility criteria for care-experienced young people (e.g. care leavers) to have your local authority act as their rent guarantor?
3. As of 21st March 2024, does your local authority offer a rent deposit for care-experienced young people (e.g. care leavers) to access when seeking to rent a privately rented property?
• Yes
• No
4. If ‘Yes’ to Question 3, what is the eligibility criteria for care-experienced young people (e.g. care leavers) to be offered a rent deposit?
5. If ‘Yes’ to Question 3, are there any limits/restrictions to the amount of rent deposit offered to care-experienced young people?
6. If your local authority offers to act as a rent guarantor and/or provide rent deposits for care-experienced young people (e.g. care leavers) when seeking to rent a privately rented property, can this be accessed by care-experienced young people from your local authority living out-of-area?
• Yes – both can be offered.
• Yes – the rent guarantor offer.
• Yes – the rent deposit offer.
• No – neither offer.
7. If you have any published information or data concerning your local authority’s guarantor or deposit scheme as set out above, please can you send it through.
1. As of 21st March 2024, does your local authority offer to act as a rent guarantor for care-experienced young people (e.g. care leavers) to access when seeking to rent a privately rented property?
No
2. If ‘Yes’ to Question 1, what is the eligibility criteria for care-experienced young people (e.g. care leavers) to have your local authority act as their rent guarantor?
3. As of 21st March 2024, does your local authority offer a rent deposit for care-experienced young people (e.g. care leavers) to access when seeking to rent a privately rented property?
• Yes
4. If ‘Yes’ to Question 3, what is the eligibility criteria for care-experienced young people (e.g. care leavers) to be offered a rent deposit?
This is part of our published local offer and therefore accessible to all care leavers. For those care leavers who are NRPF and unable to access employment, they would not be able to sustain an ongoing privately rented arrangement and therefore would be ruled out of receiving initial rent/deposit support, we maintain these young people I accommodation funded by the local authority until they are able to access public funds, or up until the age of 25.
If they are able to access employment, they would be subject to the same sustainability test as any other care leaver in accessing support for initial rent/deposit
5. If ‘Yes’ to Question 3, are there any limits/restrictions to the amount of rent deposit offered to care-experienced young people?
We would need to be satisfied that the property was sustainable for the young person in the long term (ie. The ongoing financial commitment to maintain the property is manageable with the young persons regular income)
6. If your local authority offers to act as a rent guarantor and/or provide rent deposits for care-experienced young people (e.g. care leavers) when seeking to rent a privately rented property, can this be accessed by care-experienced young people from your local authority living out-of-area?
Yes – the rent deposit offer.
7. If you have any published information or data concerning your local authority’s guarantor or deposit scheme as set out above, please can you send it through.