Under our Call Before you Serve initiative any private sector landlord or letting agent who is experiencing difficulties with their tenants and is considering serving notice can contact Housing Options for assistance, mediation and advice in order to prevent homelessness at the earliest possible stage, rather than at a tenants’ crisis point. 

The Housing Options team can offer help with:

• rent arrears
• helping the tenant create a repayment plan that their landlord agrees to
• assist tenants with maximizing their income
• applying for benefits that they are entitled to
• making claims for Discretionary Housing Payments
• referring clients to debt relief services at Citizen’s Advice 

For tenancies where there is a strained relationship between tenant and landlord, the Housing team can offer help with communication and mediation.

In cases where the relationship between landlord and tenant is beyond repair, or the landlord intends to serve a no fault notice because they want to sell, for example, we can assist the tenant with:

• a managed move and help them make applications with housing associations
• arrange viewings with other private landlords
• accessing our internal waiting list

If you are a landlord considering serving notice on your tenants, please Call Before You Serve and contact the Housing Team on 01785 619000 or email us at housingadvice@staffordbc.gov.uk.