Category: prs

The National Residential Landlord Association (NRLA) has announced their new partnership with Crisis - the national charity for homeless people.

The partnership aims to provide support for Crisis through collaborative work with private landlords to more easily house those struggling to find accommodation. Individuals approaching Crisis for help with accommodation will receive enhanced support as a result of the scheme.

The NRLA intends to recruit more landlords into the partnership scheme. By collaborating, both parties aim to reduce homelessness across the UK, with a focus on improving on access to the private rented sector.

Partnership representatives

Both partnership chief executives stated that the collaboration will be vital in order to improve the private rented sector.

Chief Executive of Crisis, Matt Downie, said:

“Together, we’ll be offering a range of tailored services and advice to landlords, supporting them to take on tenancies, with confidence and security, with people who have previously been homeless”.

The NRLA’s Chief Executive, Ben Beadle said:

“This partnership recognises the importance that the private rented sector and responsible landlords play in providing safe, decent and secure accommodation, and gives practical support to both renters and land-lords to sustain tenancies.”

Mr Beadle went on to add a fairly pointed remark as to the positive approach of Crisis, over other housing charities, in working collaboratively with the landlord organisation:

“We are delighted to be starting this innovative project with our friends at Crisis. Unlike some housing charities, Crisis works practically to assist homeless individuals to secure homes, get back on their feet and maintain tenancies for the long-term.

“We at the NRLA identify closely with this approach and believe that by working together we can go some way towards ending homelessness across the UK.”

For a better future

Chief Executive of Crisis further elaborated that:

“If we have enough secure, affordable properties for people to rent, thousands of people can avoid falling into homelessness.

“That’s why we are delighted to work with the NRLA, drawing on their wealth of experience to support and identify landlords who want to be part of the solution to ending homelessness, while improving the experience for tenants and landlords alike.

“This includes a designated point of contact throughout the tenancy, matching the right tenant to the property, mediation and tenancy breakdown prevention and free rental insurance.

“This partnership provides an important opportunity for Crisis and the NRLA to join forces to make the Private Rented Sector a better and fairer place for all involved.”

The landlord community as a whole has for some time been targeted with a lot of negativity, so it feels quite momentous to see the UK's largest landlord association collaborate with counterparts serving the tenant community.

Hopefully the work the two organisations do together will bring about a far more positive perception of landlords and their role in housing the nation.