Orchard & Shipman

Local lettings agency – letfirst

Following the recommendations in recent Government reviews of the private rented sector in both England and Scotland, Orchard & Shipman have established a Local lettings agency model called letfirst. This has been developed using our extensive experience of both the social and private housing markets.

Our service operates as a traditional lettings agency that facilitates access to the private rented sector to clients who otherwise may be excluded from obtaining a private tenancy. The lack of a tenancy deposit, reference or being on DWP benefits restricts access to many people who would otherwise be able to sustain a private tenancy. Failure to access a tenancy often results in a homeless presentation to the local authority. This model works by offering landlords guaranteed rent for the first 6 months and helps bring them together with suitable tenants backed up by the benefits of a professional tenancy and property management service.

letfirst provides a range of benefits for both local authorities and to tenants, they can be surmised as:

Benefits to local authorities

Homelessness prevention initiative
Cost effective use of existing supply
Increases scope of housing options service
Removes barriers to the private rented sector
Makes the housing advice / option service more diverse and accessible

Benefits to tenants

Provides access to the private rented sector
Improves choice
Opens the housing market to a wider audience

Advice & Assessment

Orchard & Shipman offer a full Housing & Benefits Advice service and Housing Options Assessment services. We are currently working with South Gloucester Council to provide their Housing & Benefits Advice Service. Our comprehensive Housing Options Service provides:

A service provider that is accredited by the TSA/HCA, and have been accredited to ISO:9001:2008 by BSI.
A central one-stop location, through the establishment of a call centre and investment in new technology
Delivering enhanced quality of service and improved performance in this highly sensitive service at no additional cost to the authority
A broadened range of ‘complimentary services’ including advice on employment and training, basic financial advice and providing links to a range of other community partners
Assessment of homelessness applications
Prevention of homelessness
Private rented sector housing advice
Procurement and management of temporary accommodation
Allocations and re housing through choice based lettings
Re-housing into private sector housing
Implement change by providing new procedures and processes and train key staff/teams

Housing management services

Our unique blend of public and private sector experience and skills, enables us to offer a fresh approach to delivering quality public sector housing services with a clear commercial focus. We have worked on some of the most challenging estates in London and Scotland and our team of professionals provides hands on support in the following service areas:

All aspects of housing management including
- rent collection,
- void management,
- succession,
- illegal occupiers,
- tenancy audits
- ASB
Comprehensive Leasehold management services
Estate services such as grounds maintenance and estate cleaning
Management of day to day repairs
Management of programmed repairs and improvements
Addressing issues of crime, ASB and supporting victims
Supporting vulnerable clients and socially excluded groups
Resident involvement and participation

Private Sector Leasing

Orchard & Shipman’s Private Sector Leasing model benefits local authorities by supplying self contained properties procured from the private rented sector to meet the authority’s statutory duty by providing suitable temporary accommodation to homeless households. Properties are leased by the authority from private landlords and other property owners for periods of between 3-5 years. These homes are then let by the authority to people who are homeless, with Orchard & Shipman acting as the managing agent throughout the process. For local authorities, the many benefits of Orchard & Shipman’s PSL model include:

Meeting statutory requirements to house homeless households
Avoiding the overreliance on permanent stock for temporary accommodation
Avoiding expensive alternatives, such as Bed & Breakfast
Indemnifying local authorities for rent arrears
Indemnifying local authorities against property damage (subject to agreed limits)
Client led property procurement, with proven track record of procuring suitable properties ahead of target
Full professional tenancy and property management service
All landlord communications and liaison, from procurement stage through to hand-back.

Leasing for Prevention / Homeless Prevention

Leased properties can now be used for homelessness prevention accommodation. This allows for the provision of quality private sector homes to this client group before a homelessness duty exists. We can design a service that is virtually cost neutral to local authorities by taking on the majority of the void, arrears and damage risks.

Benefits to Councils