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Find out about changes to our services and Christmas opening times on our Festive information page. To find out when your bin will be collected over the festive period, visit Changes to County Durham bin collections at Christmas.

Due to maintenance, the following systems will be unavailable from 11.45am on Tuesday 24 December until 8.00am on Thursday 2 January: our online Council Tax, business rates and housing benefit services, and our welfare assistance form. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Accommodation for Ex-Offenders (AFEO) scheme for private landlords


We offer incentives to private landlords for letting their properties through our Accommodation for Ex-Offenders (AFEO) scheme.

We have a "Ready to Let list" through the AFEO scheme, where you can add your properties to be matched to a prospective tenant and receive the following incentives:

  • transparency of information and choice
  • £1,500 financial incentive
  • initial start up support
  • support from dedicated case offers
  • six months' tenancy support

Financial incentive

The financial incentive of £1,500 can be broken down as follows (based on a monthly rent of £425pcm):

  • first month's rent
  • security deposit equivalent to one month's rent (which must be registered with a government approved scheme)
  • £100 financial support towards an end of tenancy clean (if required)
  • £200 cover for any minor repairs (if required)
  • £350 to be held on tenant rent reserve 

If the additional incentive money is not used or required, the money does not need to be repaid.

Tenancy support

You will receive tenancy support from one of our Housing Support officers. The tenant and yourself will be given full support from day one of the tenancy for six months. They will assist with everything from attending initial viewings, supporting with the tenancy sign up, setting up utilities and claims.  They will support throughout the tenancy offering budgeting support, aiding benefit claims, and offering employment links (along with much more).

Please note, we do not manage the tenancy for you, and you would need to complete your own reference checks.

Transparency

Transparency is paramount to this scheme. The aim of this scheme is to help vulnerable tenants into housing, giving them the tools and support to gain and then maintain a tenancy - we will give you as much information as possible on and of course you there is no obligation to accept any client.

All properties would be inspected by our Private Sector Initiatives Officers.

Find out more

We have had some fantastic success stories from this scheme already, please Contact Private rented housing if you are interested or want some further information.

Funding to deliver the scheme is provided by Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC).



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