Renting advice

Social housing

All social housing properties are owned by Lincolnshire Housing Partnership (LHP), they’re able to offer low rent accommodation to ensure it is affordable. As social landlords they must maintain properties, provide a repair service and collect rent.

Private renting

You can benefit from being able to choose the area you’d like to live in, some properties come already furnished and moving into privately rented housing can be much quicker!

Search for available properties:

online search websites OnTheMarket , Rightmove or Zoopla
see an estate or letting agent
check in the local newspaper, shop or post office

Getting started

When you’ve chosen somewhere you’d like live, the landlord or agent may ask for a deposit and the rent up front. If you can’t pay the rent in advance, you may be able to apply for a discretionary housing payment.

You may be asked for a deposit to make sure any unpaid rent or a sudden cost such as damages. Your landlord or agent must put your deposit in a government-back tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days of getting it, this scheme will make sure you get your money back at the end of your tenancy as long as you:

have met the terms of your tenancy agreement
don’t damage the property
pay your rent and bills

Before pay your deposit:

check what the bond or deposit covers
get a receipt stating that it is for a bond or a deposit
ask the landlord for confirmation of how the bond will be protected

Reporting repairs

You should write to your landlord if any of the following need repairing:

structure of the property (walls, stairs, bannister, rood, windows and external doors)
sinks, baths, toilets, pipes and drains
heating and hot water
chimney and ventilation
electrical wiring
faulty appliances (only if they are provided)
replacing internal decoration caused by the repair

When you contact your landlord or they come for an inspection, it’s important you keep dated copies of conversations and record all visits. If your landlord doesn’t respond to you about the repairs, you must be able to provide this evidence to the council so an improvements notice can be served.

Landlords may attempt to evict you with a section 21 notice, if the council are able to serve an improvements notice this will make the eviction notice invalid.

Related websites

Home Choice Lincs

GOV.UK Private renting

CARE Rent Scheme – Help finding a tenancy with private landlords and housing related support