payments to landlords and caseload
Case reference FOI2019/00888
Published 2 September 2019
Request
In order to assist you with this request, I am outlining my query as specifically as possible. Questions 1-3 of my request relates to the practice of local authorities paying private landlords monetary incentives to house clients who have approached the council as homeless or threatened with homelessness.
1. For each year (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 to date), on how many occasions did the local authority l pay a private landlord a monetary incentive to house a client who had approached the authority as homeless or threatened with homelessness?
2. For each year (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 to date), how much money did the local authority pay to private landlords in incentives to house clients who had approached as homeless or threatened with homelessness?
3. Across the whole of 2018 only, what was the highest individual incentive the local authority paid to a private landlord to house a client who had approached as homeless or threatened with homelessness?
4. How much did the council spend (broken down by year, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 to date) on: a.) discretionary housing payments b.) if the council has a Bond and Rent guarantee scheme/ Tenancy Deposit scheme - how much was spent each year
5. For each year (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 to date) how much did the local authority pay to house people in temporary accommodation?
6. Please provide a.) the total number of FTE Housing support staff employed by the council, b.) the total number of live housing cases as at 1 August 2019 - (or other suitable chosen date) If time is an issue, please provide figures from 2013 onwards only If my request is denied in whole or in part, I ask that you justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the Act. I will also expect you to release all non-exempt material. I reserve the right to appeal your decision to withhold any information or to charge excessive fees.
Response
2. For each year (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 to date), how much money did the local authority pay to private landlords in incentives to house clients who had approached as homeless or threatened with homelessness? We do not pay incentives
3. Across the whole of 2018 only, what was the highest individual incentive the local authority paid to a private landlord to house a client who had approached as homeless or threatened with homelessness? We do not pay incentives
a.) discretionary housing payments:
2009 27,245
2010 33,541
2011 32,264
2012 60,248
2013 127,213
2014 124,217
2015 116,238
2016 149,222
2017 258,233
2018 278,110
2019 107,717 (up to w/c 12/08/19) - this includes awards committed to the end of the financial year 2019/20
b.) if the council has a Bond and Rent guarantee scheme/ Tenancy Deposit scheme - how much was spent each year Please see attachment. Note: a relatively high proportion of deposits and rent in advance loans would be repaid in time; information on current financial year not yet available
Documents
This is Guildford Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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