Borough council launches ‘generation rent’ consultation

Gedling Borough Council has teamed up with campaigning group Generation Rent to launch a new project to engage with local private renters.

The project will aim to identify ways the council can work with residents in rental properties and increase awareness of their rights and responsibilities.

Residents who rent properties in Killisick, Netherfield, Colwick and Newstead can now take part in an online survey to let the council know about their experiences of renting.

This project is part of a larger nationwide project that has been launched by Generation Rent with funding from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust.

Generation Rent is partnering with six local authorities across the United Kingdom including Dundee, East Suffolk, Newham, Newport, and Wiltshire in addition to Gedling Borough Council. Generation Rent will work with each council to develop best practice models for private renter engagement.

‘One of our key priorities is to ensure that there are good quality homes available to rent across our borough. We’re already working with landlords on this through our Selective Licensing Scheme, but it’s vital that we also engage with residents who are renting these properties, to get their views and plan how we can improve our services for them,’ said council leader, Cllr John Clarke.

‘By working on this project with Generation Rent, we’ll be able to find out more about the experiences of private renters, including how the difficulties of the last year has impacted their lives and health. We want to give a platform to these renters to find out more about what we can do for them and continue to follow our ethos of Serving people, Improving lives.’

Alicia Kennedy, director of Generation Rent said; ‘We look forward to working with Gedling Borough Council on this new project. So few private renters are aware of the rights as private tenants, but we hope that by putting in place formalised structures for engagement between private tenants and the council, private renters will have an opportunity learn more about their rights and have their say.’