When we started our campaign to help find affordable rental homes for NHS staff and, latterly, keyworkers we, genuinely, didn’t think the situation was as bad as it is.
At the time of writing this blog, we have 120 NHS staff and 27 keyworkers looking for affordable rental homes across the length and breadth of Cornwall. The reasons given to us are varied. From being served possession notices by landlords who want to sell, to moving into the county to take up a new role, to just needing a roof over their heads.
The range of properties we need is also as varied. We need a lot of 1 and 2 bedroom flats, quite a few 2/3 bedroom houses and about 10 4 bedroom properties but those numbers will only grow, as will the number of NHS and keyworkers we have registered.
Another disturbing factor, that came to light not long after we started this campaign, is that the problem of affordable rental homes for NHS staff and keyworkers is not confined to Cornwall. We have had calls from Devon, North Somerset, Dorset, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Essex, from other estate agents saying they have the same problem and what can they do to help.
The upshot of this is that we just need more landlords to come forward and let us place an NHS worker or a keyworker into one of their properties. The benefits are obvious but for those who have doubts, we will explain.
You get a long term tenant who wants an initial 12 months, rolling into another 12 months thereafter – No Break In Tenancy / No Loss Of Rent
Your tenants salary (NHS) is guaranteed not to decrease
Your tenants will be deserving of the opportunity, so the chances are the property will be well maintained during the tenancy
You will feel better that you have helped someone who deserves your help and, ultimately, needs your help.
When we started this, we went into with rather a blinkered view. We naively thought there would be a “few” who needed our help. It transpires that we were wrong. The list of deserving tenants will only grow and grow but we will continue with this until we see the number diminish week by week.
So, if you are a landlord, if you know a landlord or you’re about to buy your first Buy-To-Let property, get in touch. We need your help and, more importantly, they need your help.
In our first BBC Spotlight interview, our Property Manager – Phil Norgan, said something that resonated with people and we’ve been saying it ever since…..
“None of us want to be in hospital, or need constant care, but when we do we would like to know that the person looking after us isn’t worrying where they will sleep that night”
Help us to help them.
