Renting to the council
Home Choice (formerly Rent Deposit Scheme)
The Home Choice scheme looks to house people currently living in council-provided temporary accommodation, or those threatened with homelessness, into the private sector. If the property is in the borough we will pay 4 weeks rent in advance to the landlord.
If the property is out of the borough of Barnet we will negotiate an appropriate incentive with the landlord. Landlords will need to provide all necessary paperwork, such as gas certificate and proof of ownership. Tenancies are directly between the landlord/agent and tenant, with the landlord having responsibility for managing the tenancy and maintaining the property. We aim for tenancies to be for at least a year.
We have dedicated people to help tenants and landlords with any problems. For more information contact the Home Choice Scheme team using the details on the left.
Private sector leasing
Our private sector leasing scheme concentrates on directly acquiring properties on lease for homeseekers in Barnet. The scheme is currently taking on new properties. To book an appointment, please call one of our Private Sector Leasing officers, Tel: 020 359 3328/3327. Alternatively, use the email address in the contact area on the left.
Housing Association Leasing scheme (HALs)
Our registered social landlord (housing association) partners continue to successfully operate major leased schemes with almost 1000 properties in management in the borough.
We work with three major housing associations that lease privately owned properties in Barnet. The leases are usually for periods of three or five years. We have worked successfully in partnership with housing associations on this type of scheme for a number of years. 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. We have 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. Our housing association partners manage the properties they have leased. The properties are let to families the council nominates. nominates families to whom it has a legal duty to provide interim housing.
The housing associations are not always able to lease properties; their acquisitions depend on the council’s demand, which fluctuates. Please contact the associations listed below to see if they are currently accepting new properties.
For details of the council’s partner housing association’s individual schemes please choose:
- Notting Hill Housing Group (landlord services) (external link)
- Pathmeads 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.
Email this pageLast modified by: Vilish Shah on 16/12/2009