A MONMOUTHSHIRE County Council home letting scheme which offers property owners a ‘Golden Welcome’ cash payment to sign up is failing to address the real problems of the County’s homeless according to a one Councillor.

The scheme, ‘Monmouthshire Lettings Service’ will offer free, quarterly property inspections and guaranteed rental payments to landlords - as well as a cash payment of up to £1,200 just for joining.

‘It’s a knee-jerk to try and increase housing stock but what is needed are some long-term strategies to address the problems of the 5,000 people currently on the waiting list,’ said county councillor, Tudor Thomas, of Abergavenny’s Priory Ward.

The scheme offers landlords comprehensive checks and vetting on all potential tenants who, according to the authority’s private sector liaison officer, Lindsay Stewart, will be drawn from those deemed homeless and most in urgent need of accommodation.

‘The money for the Golden Welcome payments to landlords comes directly from Welsh Government funds to assist with homeless prevention services and will last until March of next year. We will be offering a vetting service to landlords to uncover criminal records and examine financial histories,’ she told The Chronicle.

County Councillor Bob Greenland, cabinet member with responsibility for housing said, ‘It’s a letting agency with a difference where both landlord and tenant are listened to and valued equally with transparency and honesty integral to its working practices. The team will work with landlords to help manage and advertise properties as well as find vetted tenants’.

But with ‘vetting’ including checks for credit worthiness, those with less that great credit ratings will likely be passed over by landlords and council scrutinisers.

Councillor Thomas stated, ‘With the tolls on the Severn Bridge set to be abolished next year and rents on the rise almost daily, it’s time Monmouthshire began building. The housing section just hasn’t moved, we should be more concerned about the standard of accommodation offered to the homeless instead of helping landlords make a fast buck.’

A spokesperson for Shelter Cymru stated, ‘We are aware that Welsh Government has provided additional money to Local Authorities to invest in homelessness prevention. Some councils are using this money for quite generous cash incentives for landlords. This money is intended to help people who have no other housing options but the private rented sector’.

A statement issued by Monmouthshire County Council said, ‘We have a statutory duty to help prevent homelessness and limit the use of B&B accommodation which is both financially costly, and often socially unacceptable to the homeless household.

‘The role of the private rented sector (PRS) in providing affordable renting options is crucial for discharging our statutory homeless duties and providing accommodation to those who may struggle to access housing association accommodation or lack the ability to buy.

To address the issue we have been successful in applying for Welsh Government funding that will assist us to engage and incentivise landlords to work with us more closely.

We anticipate that the ‘Golden Hello’ together with further cash incentives for landlords willing to offer longer periods of settled accommodation will increase the number of properties available for households who struggle to find accommodation in their home communities near family, friends and support networks.