Lewisham Letting Scheme tenant information
If you are successful in securing a property through this scheme, we will facilitate the signing of a 12 month fixed term Assured Shorthold Tenancy which is a contract between you and your landlord.
What are the benefits of the scheme?
Like all inner London boroughs the demand for housing is high. There are 35,000 social rented homes in the borough owned by the council and Housing Associations but demand far outweighs supply. The reality is that most people who apply for social rented housing will be unsuccessful and even those that are successful could be waiting for a long time.
If you successfully join this scheme you have more freedom to choose an area and property that suits the needs of you and your family.
How can I join the scheme?
If you are threatened with homelessness you should get advice from the Housing Options Centre. They will assess if you are eligible for the scheme. Unfortunately you can not self refer. If you are accepted onto the scheme you will be required to attend a short training course to become an accredited tenant.
Will I have to pay any money upfront?
No, you will not be required to pay any deposit, rent in advance or administration fees.
How can I find a property?
The Lewisham Letting Scheme work’s with several landlords who offer us properties. If we have a property available we will call suitable families on our waiting list to offer them a viewing.
Our landlords will usually carry out multiple viewings and then offer the tenancy to the family of their choice. If you attend a viewing and are not offered the tenancy we will continue to invite you to view other properties that become available.
You are also encouraged to look for your own property by searching internet sites such as Zoopla and Right Move or check local news papers etc. The property does not have to be within Lewisham.
What do I do if I find a property?
If you find and view a property that meets your needs you should first check that the rent is within local housing allowance rates. You will need the full postcode of the property and number of bedrooms (make sure the number of bedrooms is what your family are entitled to).
You must also check that the landlord is willing to accept a bond from us in place of the usual cash deposit. The amounts of the bond are below.
| Bedroom size | Maximum bond |
| 1 bed | £750 |
| 2 bed | £960 |
| 3 bed | £1200 |
| 4/5bed | £1568 |
The Lewisham letting scheme are not able to offer rent in advance or deposit but we are able to give landlords that we work with a non refundable cash incentive of up to £1500.00 depending on the size, location and condition of the property.
The amount of the incentive will be determined by our procurement officer when they inspect the property. Find out more about landlord benefits.
Once you have established the above you can email the details to us at rentincentivescheme@lewisham.gov.uk and we will contact the landlord to arrange an inspection and discuss the terms of the scheme in more detail subject to terms and conditions.
We will need:
- the full address of the property including the postcode
- the name of the landlord and name of the agency if applicable
- the telephone number of the landlord
- the amount of rent that the landlord is asking for
- your full name
- where you found the property