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Council seeks residents’ views to improve support for thousands of renters

Date Posted: 4:05 PM on Tue, 18 May 2021

Gedling Borough Council and campaigning body Generation Rent have launched a new project to engage with private renters in the borough to identify ways the council can work with residents in rental properties and increase awareness of their rights and responsibilities.

The project is the first of its kind in Gedling, and will be piloted in Killisick, Netherfield, Colwick and Newstead.

There are thousands of privately rented homes in Gedling, and whilst most are in good condition, there are some where repairs or essential improvements have been neglected and a minority where criminal landlords rent out homes that are unsafe to live in. 

Councils have powers to tackle unsafe homes, but according to the Survation Poll 2021, commissioned by Generation Rent, 46% of private renters are unaware of this and therefore don’t always report issues that the council can help with. By listening to the different experiences of private renters through the project, the council aims to gain a better understanding of the key issues private renters are facing.

To launch the consultation, the council has partnered with Generation Rent, the national campaigning body for private renters. Residents who rent properties in Killisick, Netherfield, Colwick and Newstead can now take part in the survey at www.gedling.gov.uk/generationrent to let the council know about their experiences of renting.

The first phase of the consultation runs until 21 June 2021.

A second stage will follow the survey later in the year and will include holding focus group discussions and forums with private renters.

This project is part of a larger nationwide project that has been launched by Generation Rent with funding from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust. Generation Rent is partnering with six local authorities across the United Kingdom including Dundee, East Suffolk, Newham, Newport, and Wiltshire in addition to Gedling Borough Council. Generation Rent will work with each council to develop best practice models for private renter engagement.

Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councilor John Clarke said;

“One of our key priorities is to ensure that there are good quality homes available to rent across our borough. We’re already working with landlords on this through our Selective Licensing Scheme, but it’s vital that we also engage with residents who are renting these properties, to get their views and plan how we can improve our services for them.

By working on this project with Generation Rent, we’ll be able to find out more about the experiences of private renters, including how the difficulties of the last year has impacted their lives and health. We want to give a platform to these renters to find out more about what we can do for them and continue to follow our ethos of Serving people, Improving lives.”

Alicia Kennedy, Director of Generation Rent said;

“We look forward to working with Gedling Borough Council on this new project. So few private renters are aware of the rights as private tenants, but we hope that by putting in place formalised structures for engagement between private tenants and the council, private renters will have an opportunity learn more about their rights and have their say.”