Information for Landlords

This page is for those who are interested in renting a property to a Syrian Family for 2 years under the Syrian vulnerable person resettlement programme.

We have put all the links, documents and information that we currently have and will continue to update as we understand more.

How it works...

The council will act on refugees only once it has received an offer of property.
An officer is sent to inspect the property (ideally a two or three bed, self contained unit).
If approved, the children's services department assess it for suitability for a family (eg: school accessibility) the property must have been completely furnished and fitted out by the community.
The council contacts the Home Office who have, in the past responded within 4/5 days.
At this stage the council begin to pay housing benefit on the property.
The Home Office bring over a family to the UK.
The council then provides a comprehensive wrap around service, with a family officer from the troubled families unit and an interpreter. They meet them at the airport, help them move in and set up all necessary service such as GP and schools. They work with them for a year.
The families are signed up for income support and housing benefit.

So far, two Syrian families have been settled in Richmond, one in Wandsworth and one family is coming to Tooting through the resettlement scheme.

What you need to do as a landlord:

Get your property ready - our churches are really keen to support landlords to prepare for refugees, whether through donations or support from trades people we know.

These are the things that will need to be in the property - Example household inventory and these are the specifications required by the council - P roperty Specification.

You'll also need to be aware of the - Current Local Housing Allowance Rates for Wandsworth as often this is less than market rate.

More information

Information has been produced to guide Local Authorities which gives us more insight into the programme - this one is a general oversight of the resettlement programme and for more detail this report is useful.