Tenant Grant Fund
Applications for the Tenant Grant Fund are on hold starting 7 March 2023. Any fund requests received by 6 March 2023 will be given full consideration.
The Scottish Government has given funding to Scottish Local Authorities to support the work they are doing to prevent homelessness by creating a grants fund.
This fund is being administered in line with the Scottish Government guidelines with the overall aim of supporting homelessness prevention.
To be eligible for a grant, a tenant must have rent arrears arising as a direct result of
- The Covid-19 pandemic during the period between 23 March 2020 and 9 August 2021, or
- the Cost of Living Crisis from 10 August 2021 onwards.
The fund can provide a grant to help tenants to come to an agreement with their landlords for repaying rent arrears and to remain in their home. Any grant award will be paid directly to Landlords to credit a tenant’s rent account.
All grant award payments are discretionary, will be one off and will be limited to cover a period of under 12 months.
Grant awards are available until 31 March 2023. There is a limited amount of funding available and the Fund will close when the value of requests reaches the amount available for distribution.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this grant you must be a tenant in Edinburgh living in the private or social rented sector and meet the following criteria.
- You are at risk of becoming homeless and do not have alternative sources of support.
- You are in rent arrears due to the Covid-19 pandemic or the rises to the cost of Living.
- Your landlord must be either a
- Local Authority
- Registered Social Landlord
- Private landlord registered on the Scottish Landlord Register or have recently made a valid application to the Scottish Landlord Register.
In most cases tenants will be at risk of soon becoming homeless. They may have had an eviction notice, or the case will be due to go to court. It is expected that legal actions will have started and more detail and evidence of the stage of action will be requested to make an appropriate grant award.
Arrears that built up before 23 March 2020 are not eligible.
Application process
Through our prevention of homelessness processes, we should already be aware of those at the highest risk. Tenants, landlords or agencies working with households who think they may meet the criteria should make an enquiry by emailing Edinburgh_TGF@edinburgh.gov.uk
Grant amount and conditions
The grant amount paid is based on individual circumstances in line with eligibility.
Where a decision is taken to award a grant, both the landlord and tenant must agree to certain conditions around ensuring the tenancy can be sustained. For example, withdrawing or suspending any legal proceedings for eviction and the tenant agreeing to pay the rent and any remaining rent arrears going forward through an affordable repayment plan. Conditions will be discussed during the process and confirmed in the offer letter.
This payment will not be taken into account for benefit or Income Tax purposes.
Payment
Any grant award will be paid directly to the landlord and credited to the rent account to reduce any rent arrears and prevent homelessness. This may be a full or partial payment of the arrears.
Grants awards will be calculated when the decision maker is satisfied that the evidence provided supports all the required criteria. Grants will then be paid when both landlord and tenant have agreed to the terms of a grant offer that will be issued for agreement.
The grant is a one-off payment and does not need to be paid back.
Contact us
If you have an enquiry email Edinburgh_TGF@edinburgh.gov.u