Appeal to Oxford’s landlords to support refugees

The Oxford City Council are looking for properties within the city boundary to accommodate large families, potentially consisting of a couple with 2 to 4 children per family.

There will be an ongoing need for more affordable housing not only to meet the current Afghan crisis but to also accommodate other refugees who are being welcomed to the city through other resettlement schemes such as the United Kingdom Resettlement Scheme (UKRS). Please Help if you can!

Property size: 3 bed or 4 bed properties

Rent: for sustainability reasons, ideally as near to Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate as possible (3 bed LHA = £1100 per calendar month 4 bed LHA = £1585 per calendar month)

Tenancy: initially 12 month contract, but if sustainable, would be interested in extending the contract to help families feel settled and welcomed.

• Limited rent top up can be paid for the first 12 months
• £1000 – Finder’s Fee
• 5 weeks deposit
• 1 month rent in advance
• Potential for up to 6 month rent bonds for added security
• Tenancy support & Language support
• Environmental Health Check
• Knowledge of helping a vulnerable family in need
• Landlord to be invited to welcome meeting with refugee family and support network
• Longer term tenancies for landlord and tenant piece of mind
• Arrange direct payments to landlords

• Ensure property meets required minimum health and safety standards
• Ensure all safety and energy certificates are up to date and regularly maintained and issued in a timely manner
• Property is secure and all equipment provided is in good working order
• Provide up to date contact details
• Allow early access to property for preparation of arrivals
• Offer the flexibility of longer term tenancies
• Any properties offered with white goods already fitted should meet required safety standards.

For any enquiries, please contact: refugeehousing@oxford.gov.uk