Tenants on low incomes but not on benefits may need support for one or two essential furniture items so a crisis or gifting scheme is a worthwhile investment and can present a return on investment, albeit over a much longer time frame than a furnished tenancy can offer.
Tenants can get into unmanageable debt trying to acquire essential furniture items as costs continue to rise, so helping them with items is not only the right thing to do, it can help to avoid rental arrears and make tenancies more sustainable.
Some items are almost impossible to obtain through grant giving charities or local welfare schemes, items such as flooring, wardrobes or other bedroom furniture, so a gifting scheme can pay dividends.
It can also help to improve general void standards over a period of time – landlords have found that tenancies that include flooring and decoration for example, will outperform standard tenancies. Void rent loss is reduced through a combination of reduced churn and properties being returned to void in a much better condition. See our Blueprint for more information and case studies with Thirteen Group and Citizen.
If you are considering creating a crisis scheme or gifting programme, we can introduce you to other social landlords who have set up schemes. Get in touch to find out more.
