FOI request (FOIR-630019490)

Homelessness placements with private landlords

Requested Thu 11 July 2024
Responded Thu 08 August 2024

1. How many homeless households you placed in accommodation outside your local authority area in the financial year 2023/24. Please provide a breakdown of which local authority areas they were placed. Please also advise how many were with private landlords, in hostels or in hotels.

2. How many homeless households you placed in accommodation outside your local authority area in the financial year 2023/24 where incentive payments were paid upfront to private landlords to accept them. Please advise the total spending (if any) in this respect.

3. How many homeless households you placed in accommodation inside your local authority area in the financial year 2023/24. Please also advise how many were with private landlords, in hostels or in hotels.

4. How many complaints against private landlords within your local authority area you received in the financial year 2023/24 for failing to maintain required minimum standards. How many inspections you carried out as a result and how many improvement notices you issued, whether as a result of these complaints or proactively.

Response

1. Temporary accommodation placements made out of area during 2023/2024:

Brighton and Hove = 3x private landlords

East Riding of Yorkshire = 1x private landlord

Eastbourne = 84x private landlords and 3x hotels

Lewes = 5x private landlords

Maidstone = 1x private landlord

Medway = 5x private landlords

Rother = 6x private landlords

2. Hastings Borough Council does not provide incentive payments for placements made into temporary accommodation, however, we do provide incentives to private landlords for permanent accommodation of which there were 11 that were paid a total of £10,500.0

3. 798, of which 762 were with private landlords. None were placed in hostels or hotels.

4. 316 complaints received. 77 HMO inspections, 77 HHSRS inspections. 2 improvement notices issued. This includes complaints regarding properties that the Council has placed tenants in.

5. Information not held. Our IT system does not differentiate between council owned properties and the private rented sector.