Renting to the council
The council’s Registered Social Landlord (housing association) partners continue to successfully operate major leased schemes with almost a 1000 properties in management in the borough. For a limited period the council has agreed with its partners a suspension of their acquisition activities in the open market. The Registered Social Landlords remain among the council’s long-term partners.
The council has launched an in-house Private Sector Leasing scheme that will concentrate on directly acquiring properties on lease for homeseekers in Barnet. The council is focussing on good quality studio and one-bedroom homes.
The council will also take on lease other properties that are suitable for adaptation for its disabled homeseekers if those properties are,
- in Barnet; and
- have ground-level or lifted access; and
- have no internal stairs; and
- have good access to schools, shops, and public transport.
- Information for landlords
(PDF 70KB) on private sector leasing in Barnet .
Barnet Council works with three major housing associations that lease privately owned properties in Barnet. The leases are usually for periods of three or five years. There are approximately 1000 properties leased in this way in Barnet. We have worked successfully in partnership with housing associations on this type of scheme, Housing Association Leasing Schemes (HALS for short) for a number of years, and these schemes are growing. The schemes work because they use a tried and tested formula:
- Each property owner has a commercial relationship with a housing association in the form of a lease, and receives guaranteed rent.
- The council has a commercial relationship with each housing association.
- Each individual tenant has a tenancy with the housing association that has leased the property involved and has no legal relationship with the property owner.
The council’s housing association partners manage the properties they have leased. The properties are let to families the council nominates. The council nominates families to whom it has a legal duty to provide interim housing.
For details of the council’s partner housing association’s individual schemes please choose:
- Notting Hill Housing Group (landlord services) (external link)
- Paddington Churches Housing Association (temporary housing) (external link)
- Stadium Housing Association (external link)
It is normal for the value of a leased property to increase during the course of the lease, but property values, like the value of stocks and shares, or the value of other investments, may rise or fall.
It is advisable to take legal advice before entering into any property transaction.
Related Service Area Information: Private Sector Leasing in Barnet
