Tenancy sustainment
Affordable rent
In setting rent levels, a balance must be struck between:
- making sure that housing is affordable to those in housing need (those on low incomes and/or receiving benefits)
- maximising income to enable the development of new affordable housing
- making sure good quality management and maintenance of existing stock
With the aim of avoiding:
- rent arrears
- homelessness
- financial hardship
It is our position that affordable rent (including service charges) in the city should not be more than Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates.
Where a social landlord provides affordable homes in excess of the units required by the Section 106 agreement; we will be open to discussion with regards to the rent on the additional units.
Extra tenancy sustainment and prevention measures
We expect all social landlords operating in the city to:
- support tenants to maintain their tenancy and prevent unnecessary evictions
- explore homeless prevention initiatives
- work with our Housing Solutions team and other local services, to make sure that clients do not become homeless
Should a tenancy fail, even with support provided, then early referral to our Housing Solutions team is essential.
We ask all registered providers operating in the city to alert our Housing Solutions Team of any tenants who are at risk of homelessness within the next 56 days. This can be done through the ALERT system.