Help prevent homelessness through early reporting of tenancy issues

02 Jul 2026

Landlords of residential properties across West Suffolk are being encouraged to report tenancy issues early to aid a council in preventing homelessness.

West Suffolk Council has already helped successfully prevent 225 households across the district from becoming homeless in the year to 31 March. That’s a 30 per cent increase in the number of preventions on the previous year.

During that time, the housing authority also reached out and worked with private sector landlords to reduce potential no fault evictions ahead of the first phase of the Renters Rights Act which came into effect on 1 May this year. The council has been supporting landlords and their tenants through the changes both through its work with Safe Suffolk Renters and through its West Suffolk Lettings Partnership which now manages close to 200 properties on behalf of more than 80 landlords.

Now West Suffolk is looking to further its dialogue with landlords so that it knows about any tenancy issues that they are experiencing long before they lead to eviction and homelessness. It has launched an online tool to through which landlords can report issues directly to the council.

Cllr Richard O’Driscoll, Cabinet Member for Housing at West Suffolk Council, said: “I am very proud of the work that the Council has done to prevent homelessness for many West Suffolk households. We recognise that there are many reasons why tenancy issues arise. These can include a change to the tenant’s circumstances, rent arrears, or a breakdown in communication between the tenant and their landlord.

“What we are asking is for the landlords of West Suffolk properties to tell us about any tenancy problems as early as possible.

“We may be able to help the tenant address the financial or personal issues, and by doing so preventing it from escalating to eviction. That then maintains the ongoing tenancy for the benefit of the tenant as well as the landlord who doesn’t miss out on rent while advertising for someone new.

“But we are also realistic and recognise that in some cases the landlord will wish to pursue an eviction. We can advise the landlord on the next steps and ensure that they follow the correct procedures. That then gives us early notice that we may need to support the tenant in finding somewhere else suitable to live in order to prevent them from becoming homeless.”

The move forms part of the wider approach of the council set out in its Housing, Homelessness Reduction and Rough Sleeping Strategy which places a continuing emphasis on intervention and prevention of homelessness.

 

---