Renting a home from a private landlord

Lots of people choose to rent privately. Reasons why you might choose the private rented sector include:

• long waiting times for council or housing association properties
• a wide range of locations available, including outside of Haringey
• flexibility to move to a particular location for schools, jobs, transport links or local services
• a variety of types of homes available, for example, apartments, houses with gardens

Help to find housing in the private rented sector

The housing needs team will be able to advise you on how to find out what housing is available locally and further afield and how to apply for welfare benefits to help you with your housing costs.

You might be able to get help with a deposit through:

• the Support Fund
• the Homelessness Prevention Fund
• Discretionary Housing Payments

Home Finder scheme

We can find you a good quality private rented home in Haringey or neighbouring boroughs. If you wish to live elsewhere you will need to look for a property yourself.

Option 1: We find a property for you

We will

• find a privately rented property for you in Haringey or a neighbouring borough
• match the property as closely as possible to your requirements

Option 2: You find your own property

You:

• can find your own privately rented property in Haringey or anywhere in the country (dependent on cost)
• do not have to fund the usual costs of a private tenancy as we can offer landlords and agents an incentive package on your behalf

Who qualifies for the scheme?

This will generally be people who we have a statutory duty to assist (including approved homeless applicants) and people who:

• are homeless or threatened with homelessness – including some severely overcrowded households
• are eligible – defined by your immigration status, whether you are 'habitually resident' in the UK, in some cases your country of origin, and whether you are classed as a 'worker'
• are in priority need – have children or are pregnant, vulnerable due to age or medical conditions or other special reasons, or made homeless by fire or flood
• have a local connection with Haringey
• have been made homeless through no fault of your own

If you think you may qualify for the scheme and you are in temporary accommodation please call your tenancy management officer. All other applicants should call the housing advice line on 020 8489 1000.

Benefits

If you claim benefits or are on a low income you may also be entitled to housing benefit which could help you pay your rent.

See our benefits and financial support pages to find out if you can get help with paying your rent.

The pages will also give you information on the Local Housing Allowance applicable to the size of property you require in the area you are looking at. The Local Housing Allowance is the maximum amount housing benefit will pay for properties in that area.

For more information on how to rent privately please contact Housing Advice on 020 8489 1000.

Intermediate Rent

Intermediate Rent is a scheme that allows you to rent a newly built housing association property at approximately 80% of the market rate.

Anyone can apply for this scheme although priority may be given to certain groups such as key workers or council tenants.

For more information, please visit the Homes for Londoners website.