FOI request (FOI220356)

Private rented sector offers

Requested Wed 16 August 2017
Responded  Wed 16 August 2017

I am looking to understand the costs of providing assistance to households who have experienced homelessness. This is so I can evaluate the impact of the work of homelessness charities.

I would be very grateful if you could please provide the following information. 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.

Exemptions:

Section 12:

I understand that one exemption that may apply to this request is that described at Section 12(1) - 12(4) of the Freedom of Information Act, where "the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit". If the council does refuse the request by relying on Section 12, I would respectfully ask that it comply with the Information Commissioner's advice and confirm whether or not the information is held by the Council.

Section 16:

Further, I am available to help and assist the Council, and would be happy to refine the request, in order to reduce the time needed to provide the information requested. I would respectfully ask that the Council consider its duty "to provide advice and assistance" as set out at Section 16 of the Act. The Information Commissioner states in advice that the "a public authority should consider in these circumstances...how it can provide advice and assistance to help an applicant narrow, reform or refocus their request…"

Section 21:

If this information described in Question 1, 2 and 3 of this request is already publicly available and

therefore exempt under Section 21 of the Act, I respectfully request that the Council inform me to where specifically it can be found.

Public Interest:

I do not believe that any of the Freedom of Information Act exemptions should apply to the information requested. However, in the case that the Council argues otherwise I now present some arguments as to why it would be in the public interest - and indeed in the interests of the council and the people it serves - to release the information I have requested.

1. There is a bias toward disclosure in the Freedom of Information Act itself, as there is a general public interest in transparency in public affairs and in how money raised through taxation is managed and spent.

2. There is a clear public interest in the efficient administration of public money and resources.

3. There is a legitimate aim in greater transparency in the inner workings and process of the management of assistance for homeless households

4. The publication of the information requested serves the interest of homeless households themselves in achieving greater transparency and comfort in the workings of their own housing situation.

5. Publication will enable charities in this sector to target resources at areas where people are in need, and where councils are having to provide assistance to many households

6. Shelter are requesting this information to develop a clear understanding of the public benefit of our own work, including how we can help reduce the costs falling to local and national government. This request is being made as part of an internal exercise to understand the impact of our support services. The charity will use the data to develop services and understand where they can help service users further Therefore, publication of the information requested will have a direct benefit for council tenants, local authorities and the taxpayer. Shelter does not intend to use the information provided as part of its

communications or campaigns work.

Response

Q1 - Zero

Q2 - N/A

Q3a

The amount spent on cash incentives to private landlords to secure their property for a PRSO, prevention or relief action or for temporary accommodation. Answer = 0 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 Answer = £2955.00 - The amount spent on tenancy deposits as a payment that is not intended to be recouped at a later date Answer = £00.00 · 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 Answer = £80.00 - The amount spent on upfront rent payments as a payment not intended to be recouped at a later date Answer = £00.00 · 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 Answer = £1000.00 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) Answer = N/A

Q3b

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 Response: Hastings Borough Council does not hold information on how much staff time is spent on the specific processes described at 3.B. We have 6 FTE Housing Options Officers and 1 FTE administrative support worker who undertake these functions between them as part of their role(s).

Response from Housing Benefits - Hastings Borough Council does not use DHP's (Discretionary Housing Payments) for salaries or to secure properties, only to help people sustain their tenancies.