Northampton Council funds for paying deposit

Residents in the town of Northampton seeking to establish a tenant agreement as well as landlords in the borough can both benefit from the council’s Deposit Bond Scheme. Many families or individuals on a low income often struggle to come up with the funds for paying that expense, which may be equivalent to one month of rent or more. So the deposit scheme from the council was created to address that barrier to accessing private sector housing.

People applying can either be seeking a new home to move into, or maybe they were homeless and are looking for assistance in moving into their first home. The council will review each application and make a decision based on merit.

Support for landlords

Landlords in Northampton will benefit from the bond guarantee as well. It helps them in several ways. One is they will be working directly with the council, who approves applicants which lessens the landlords risks to letting to a difficult person. The tenant will also be provided ongoing advice by the council, so if any hardship comes up then the renter will get ongoing advice which helps reduce the chances of an eviction needing to occur. Also, the landlord can make a claim against the bond if there is damage to the home or if the tenant is in arrears.

There are currently dozens of landlords that participate with the council. They have been able to reduce the amount of time that they have had their properties vacant as the council will help them find a renter. This has lead to a higher income for many landlords, and this is a major reason to participate.

Application process for tenants in Northampton borough

The council has eligibility criteria in place to determine who can be assisted by the scheme. One major benefit to it is that there are no application fees or commissions, so there is no risk for someone to apply.

The Northampton Housing Options Team will conduct an interview of the applicant. They do this to determine the potential suitability, as the council does not want to help with a security deposit is the family can’t afford to pay the rent on their own in the future. They will determine the income and employablity of the prospective tenant.

The home selected in the private sector also needs to be inspected as part of this process. The landlord also needs to agree to the scheme. The Housing Options Team needs to make sure it is safe to live in and affordable. No tenancy agreement should be singed with the landlord until this occurs.

A decision will be made within 10 days if the council will issue the bond guarantee. So they do try to make a quick decisions.

Support provided by the Deposit Bond Scheme

There are various forms of assistance provided. A bond will be issued to pay the deposit, which will be up to one month worth of rent expense. So this will allow the Northampton borough resident to move in. But other help is provided too.

The Housing Team will also identify any other support needs that the client may need. This can include fast tracking an application to the Local Housing Allowance or other Benefits Service to help in applying for job training. If the family is approved for benefits, the council will work to ensure that there is a minimal delay to payments. The homeless in the borough can also learn about short term hostels that they can be placed into.

Also, the home selected will have ongoing health checks occur during the tenancy agreement. This will help ensure the landlord keeps the property safe and livable. The last key benefit is ongoing advice from the Northampton council to cover everything from rent arrears to support for employment.

For more information, the housing options team can be called at 0300 330 7000. Whether it is a deposit or some other form of support, the team will try to assist the resident.