Private Rented Sector Offers

Question

I request this information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

1.       The number of private rented sector offers (PRSOs) made to discharge the authority’s duty to homeless households in temporary accommodation that were made by your authority in 2015/16. These are sometimes also referred to by local authorities as ‘AST discharge of duty’. Below we refer to these as ‘PRSOs’.

2.       The amount spent by your authority on the following costs in 2015/16

·         The amount spent on cash incentives to private landlords to secure their property for use for a PRSO.

·         The amount spent on tenancy deposits for PRSOs. Please give a breakdown where possible between:

-        The amount spent on tenancy deposits given as a bond, to recover at a later date

-        The amount spent on tenancy deposits as a payment that is not intended to be recovered from the tenant at a later date

·         The amount spent on upfront rent payments for PRSOs giving a breakdown where possible between:

-        The amount spent on upfront rent payments given as a bond, to recover at a later date

-        The amount spent on upfront rent payments as a payment not intended to be recovered at a later date

·         The amount spent on any other payments given to private landlords (for example to cover rent non-payment or void periods) for PRSOs

 
If it is not possible to separate out costs in such a way, please give the total amount of money spent on the following for securing properties for PRSOs:

·         Cash incentives

·         Deposits

·         Rent upfront

·         Any other payments given (for example to cover rent non-payment or void periods)

 3.       The amount spent by your local authority on the following costs in 2015/16

·         The amount spent on staff salaries to secure properties for PRSOs

·         The amount spent on any other administrative or other costs involved to secure properties for PRSOs

 
NB: For all of the costs in 2 or 3, please include payments made from all local authority budgets, including from the local authorities discretionary housing payments budget. Please do not include costs paid for by housing benefit payments that are covered by the Department for Work and Pensions.

 
 
 
 
ONLY IF it is not possible to provide the information in 2 or 3 above, please instead provide the following. The below should not be factored in to the calculation of how many hours it would take to retrieve the information in requests 1, 2 and 3 above.
 

A.      The amount spent by your authority on the following in 2015/16 in order to secure accommodation to be used as a PRSO, to secure private rented accommodation to use as a prevention or relief action where a household is 'assisted to obtain alternative accommodation in the form of private rented sector accommodation' (referred to below as 'prevention or relief action'), or securing private rented accommodation to use as temporary accommodation for accommodating households accepted as homeless:

·         The amount spent on cash incentives to private landlords to secure their property for a PRSO, prevention or relief action or for temporary accommodation.

·         The amount spent on tenancy deposits to private landlords for a PRSO, prevention or relief action or for temporary accommodation, giving a breakdown where possible between:

-        The amount spent on tenancy deposits given as a bond, to recover at a later date

-        The amount spent on tenancy deposits as a payment that is not intended to be recouped at a later date

·         The amount spent on upfront rent payments to private landlords for a PRSO, prevention or relief action or for temporary accommodation, giving a breakdown where possible between:

-        The amount spent on upfront rent payments given as a bond, to recover at a later date

-        The amount spent on upfront rent payments as a payment not intended to be recouped at a later date

·         The amount spent on any other payments given to private landlords (for example covering rent non-payment or void periods) for PRSOs, prevention or relief actions or temporary accommodation

 
If it is not possible to separate out costs in such a way, please give the total amount of money spent on the following for securing private rented properties for a PRSO, prevention or relief action or for temporary accommodation:

·         Cash incentives

·         Deposits

·         Rent upfront

·         Any other costs (for example covering rent non-payment or void periods)

B.      The amount spent by your local authority on the following costs in 2015/16

·         The amount spent on staff to secure private rented properties for PRSOs, prevention or relief action or for temporary accommodation

·         The amount spent on any other administrative or other costs involved to secure private rented properties for PRSOs, prevention or relief action or for temporary accommodation

 
NB: For all of the costs in A or B, please include payments made from all local authority budgets, including from the local authorities discretionary housing payments budget. Please do not include costs paid for by housing benefit payments that are covered by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Answer

Nil return, the Comhairle haven’t used PRSOs.