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FOI request (FOIR-135456219)
Payments to landlords
Requested Mon 05 August 2019
Responded Wed 23 October 2019I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In order to assist you with this request, I am outlining my query as specifically as possible.
Questions 1-3 of my request relates to the practice of local authorities paying private landlords monetary incentives to house clients who have approached the council as homeless or threatened with homelessness.
1. For each year (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 to date), on how many occasions did the local authority l pay a private landlord a monetary incentive to house a client who had approached the authority as homeless or threatened with homelessness?
2. For each year (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 to date), how much money did the local authority pay to private landlords in incentives to house clients who had approached as homeless or threatened with homelessness?
3. Across the whole of 2018 only, what was the highest individual incentive the local authority paid to a private landlord to house a client who had approached as homeless or threatened with homelessness?
4. How much did the council spend (broken down by year, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 to date) on:
a.) discretionary housing payments
b.) if the council has a Bond and Rent guarantee scheme/ Tenancy Deposit scheme - how much was spent each year
5. For each year (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 to date) how much did the local authority pay to house people in temporary accommodation?
6. Please provide a.) the total number of FTE Housing support staff employed by the council, b.) the total number of live housing cases as at 1 August 2019 - (or other suitable chosen date)
If time is an issue, please provide figures from 2013 onwards only
Response
Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding.
Q1 & Q2 = None - we do not pay monetary incentives
Q3 = n/a
Q4a = none – Housing doesn't deal with this. Please refer this to Housing Benefit.
Q4b = We don't operate a rent guarantee scheme. Bonds were issued for either 12 or 24 months. No money exchanged hands when bond was issued. £ Bond committed:
2009 – information not held
2010 = £15,610
2011 = £28223
2012 = £33288
2013 = £32,392
2014 = £29,669
2015 = £5,711.00
2016 = £2,421.26
Bonds were stopped being issued in 2016. Tenancy deposit scheme:
2009 = information not held
2010/11 = £49,716.97
2011/12 = £30,010.00
2012/13 = £69,823.45
2013/14 = £71,793.68
2014/15 = £75,736.00
2015/16 = £43,843.53
2016/17 = £51,607.92
2017/18 = £68,981.38
2018/19 = £71,564.95
2019/20 (up until 04/10/2019) = £41,414.55
Q5 = This information can be found in the council's budget at https://www.hastings.gov.uk/my_council/transparency/budgets/
Q6(a) = Housing Options staff that deal with homelessness and housing register, e.g. Housing Options Officers (who deal with triage, prevention, relief, decision and final duty cases), Homemove Officer, Admin Officers, Systems Support Officer, Temporary Accommodation officers - 23 FTE
Q6b = Live cases as at 16/10/2019 - triage/prevention/relief/decision/final duty cases = 834 - housing register = 1775
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