Private Renting

This section of our website aims to provide you with information regarding private rented sector accommodation

For Tenants / Potential Tenants

If you are currently in a private rent and your circumstances have changed or you are finding it difficult to afford you may wish to visit the Housing Benefit section of this website or Citizens Advice for financial / debt advice.

Finding a home

The following links aim to give a choice of ways to find private rented accommodation in Hart. They are for information only and not a recommendation from the Council.

Rightmove | Nestoria

Other options that may not require an agent fee include the following, again we cannot endorse these external sites and please take care especially in giving personal information or visiting advertisements that may be on the website:

www.home.co.uk | www.torent.co.uk | www.letalife.com | property.vivastreet.co.uk

For Landlords:

Thinking about renting out your home?

For more advice on this visit the external link LACORS

Tenancy Deposit Scheme

From the 6 April 2007, all landlords and letting agents taking deposits for assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) in England and Wales are required to join a Government-accredited tenancy deposit protection scheme. This will safeguard all the deposits landlords and agents take.

There are two types of tenancy deposit protection scheme available for landlords and letting agents (insurance-based schemes and custodial schemes). All schemes provide a free dispute resolution service.

The Deposit Protection Service (Custodial Scheme)

The DPS is the only custodial deposit protection scheme, is free to use and open to all Landlords and Letting Agents. The service is funded entirely from the interest earned from deposits held. Landlords and Letting Agents will be able to register and make transactions online. Paper forms will also be available should Internet access be an issue. The scheme will be supported by a dedicated call centre and an independent dispute resolution service. For more information, visit the deposit protection website or telephone 0870 707 1 707.

The Tenancy Deposit Scheme (Insurance Based Scheme)

TDS is an insurance-backed deposit protection and dispute resolution scheme run by The Dispute Service that builds on a scheme established in 2003 to provide dispute resolution and complaints handling for the lettings industry. The new scheme enables letting agents and landlords to hold deposits. For more information, visit the TDS website or call 0845 226 7837

Tenancy Deposit Solutions Ltd (Insurance Based Scheme)

TDSL is a partnership between the National Landlords Association and Hamilton Fraser Insurance. This insurance-based tenancy deposit protection scheme enables landlords, either directly or through agents, to hold deposits. Letting agents can also join the scheme. For more information, visit the my deposits website or telephone 0871 703 0552.

Shared accommodation rate

If you are under 35 and single, the maximum housing benefit you can receive is the LHA shared accommodation rate (the rate for a room in a shared house). This is the case even if you rent a house or flat of your own. If you could afford the rent when you moved in and you have not claimed housing benefit in the past year, this restriction will not apply for the first 13 weeks of your claim.

Exceptions to the rule

The shared accommodation rate will also not apply if you live alone and:

• you are under 22 and have spent time in care since your 16th birthday
• you have a severe disability
• you are entitled to an extra bedroom for a non-resident carer
• you have spent at least three months in a hostel for homeless people (this can include women’s refuges and drug rehab hostels, and doesn’t have to be in one stay) and have accepted resettlement support (25- to 34-year-olds only)
• you have left prison and you are subject to ‘Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements’ (25- to 34-year-olds only)

If you are aged 25 to 34

Before 1 January 2012, the shared accommodation rate only applied to people under 25. If you are aged between 25 and 34 and you were already living in privately rented self-contained accommodation, you will be affected. If you claimed housing benefit:

• first on or after 1 April 2011, it will be reduced to the shared accommodation rate on the first anniversary of your claim
• before 1 April 2011, it will be reduced to the shared accommodation rate nine months after the first anniversary of your claim that falls on or after 1 April 2011
• and your 25th birthday is after 31 March 2011 and before 1 January 2012, your benefit will not be reduced to the shared accommodation rate until your 26th birthday

Contact us if you are unsure how much benefit you may lose, and when. If any loss causes you hardship, you can make a claim for discretionary housing payment from the council, but you cannot rely on getting this help.

Other situations

If you either share your accommodation with your partner, have a child who lives with you, or rent from a housing association or the council, the shared accommodation rate will not apply to you. Most people can claim housing benefit but you may not be entitled to it if you are a full-time student

Last updated: 20th February 2012