Lease your property for refugee resettlement

As the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary, we are committed to supporting refugees and people fleeing conflict and persecution. In recent years, we have helped to resettle families from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine.

As part of this work, we are looking to lease properties from private landlords to house refugee families.

What we are looking for

We are looking for entire, self-contained properties that can be rented to refugee families, where the landlord or property owner does not live in the property.

We are looking for a minimum lease term of 24 months.

What you will get

As well as helping to make a positive difference to the lives of families who have been forced to flee their homes, you will be guaranteed reliable tenants who will be vetted before they are placed in properties. We will carry out regular checks to ensure tenants are managing to keep up-to-date with rent payments and maintenance of the property.

We will furnish all properties and grants are available in some circumstances to make necessary upgrades or repairs to the property. We will also cover any void periods while a new family is located for the property.

How we will support refugee families

Refugee families resettled in Lewisham will be supported by the Council and our partner organisation – Refugee Council – to help them settle in the borough. They will be supported with things like finding a job or claiming income support and registering for local services such as GPs and schools. Landlords who are leasing their properties to refugee families will not need to assist with this.

We will also ensure that refugee families understand their responsibilities as a tenant, have a steady income and maintain their tenancies.

Get in touch

If you have a property that you are interested in leasing to support refugee families being resettled in Lewisham, let us know via the online form below.