Landlords pushed to sell by Government reforms urged to consider Derventio Housing Trust instead

The housing trust provides over 600 single bed spaces of accommodation across five counties for people who have recently been homeless. With a headquarters in Derby, it is seeing an acute need for landlords with more and more people falling behind on their payments and losing their homes amid the spiralling cost of living.

With fears that the Government’s new Renters’ Reform Bill may provoke thousands of landlords to selling up their privately rented out properties, leaders at Derventio Housing Trust are urging nervous Derbyshire property owners to consider a move to the social market instead.

The Renters’ Reform Bill announced in May is intended as a ‘levelling up’ move in the private rental sector. The bill contains several measures such as the abolition of Section 21 notices, which enable landlords to evict tenants without having to cite any fault. The bill would also abolish fixed term tenancies (ASTs), which can be ended through a section 21 notice. Coming through Parliament currently is an additional proposal of raising a property’s energy efficiency EPC requirement rating to ‘C’ as part of the Government’s net zero strategy.

Annabel Flint, procurement manager at Derventio Housing Trust, said many impacts of the bill on private rental landlords do not apply in the social housing sector so it was a less risky option.

She said: “News of the Renters’ Reform Bill has been met with some trepidation by landlords. Our message is, while we fully support the private rental market and the need for affordable housing in the private sector, for any of those landlords who are considering selling up, the Derventio property leasing scheme may be an attractive alternative option. As a registered social landlord, Derventio Housing Trust is exempt from needing Section 21 notices, ASTs or even minimum EPC ratings, so those elements which may be making private rental landlords feel nervous would no longer be a concern.”

Derventio Housing Trust offers a leasing scheme for landlords that guarantees rent for the whole term of the lease, with no voids, no court costs or evictions to worry about, no tenant damage to rectify, no fees, weekly inspections and an excellent property management service. The trust also deals with any challenging tenant behaviour with landlords saying this makes it a pleasantly ‘hands-off’ experience for them.

Annabel said: “We offer a great scheme for potential landlords, with three years of guaranteed rent and no voids, plus the option to extend the lease after that. There are no letting, property management or inventory fees – that’s all free. We take care of the utility bills and council tax, and we’ll also inspect properties weekly, garden in the summer, decorate when needed and clean any communal areas all year round at no cost to the landlord. Through leasing with us, we think landlords will have more security and potentially avoid any turbulence in the private rental market.

“So I’d like to encourage any landlords with available properties to please give us a call to discuss the benefits of leasing with us. Not only can we offer you rent security and hassle-free property management, but also the benefit of knowing you are providing a home for someone greatly in need of one.

“Soaring cost of living costs, and the aftermath of Covid, have had a serious effect on many people who after falling behind on their rent have found themselves without their home. Anyone’s life can take a turn for the worse and we are here to try and provide homes when people need them. To do that, we would love to hear from any landlords who feel they’d like to lease their properties through us. Demand for our services is only growing and the more properties we have available, the more people we can help.”

As well as providing homes, Derventio Housing Trust runs several schemes made available to its residents to help support them. One example is Growing Lives in Ilkeston, a day centre offering a range of activities such as woodworking, gardening, walks, craft and most importantly of all, safety and a listening ear. Many Derventio residents who attend Growing Lives have called it a ‘lifeline’ and said how helpful project leaders have been in turning their lives around.