Derby-based housing trust named national Champion

Derventio Housing Trust, a Derbyshire organisation that helps homeless people find a place to call home, has been crowned a Private Renting Champion by Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people.

They have also secured funding to continue their Rooms4Two scheme for a second year. Derventio has helped 168 people find and keep private rented housing over the last three years through Rooms4Two.

This is the second time the company has been named as a Private Renting Champion, having also won the award in 2013 for developing a model for leasing properties.

Seven schemes were selected as Crisis Private Renting Champions 2015. They will give guidance to other projects on tackling the everyday problems which arise from housing homeless people in the private rented sector, to help create quality and lasting tenancies.

Derventio Housing Trust is the national champion for Addressing Property Conditions in the Private Rented Sector. In 2013, they set up a dedicated team of specialists to improve the conditions in the houses they lease from landlords and then rent to homeless people.

Phil Rowland, Head of Property Procurement and Development at Derventio Housing Trust, said: “Being named a Crisis Private Renting Champion for the second time is a real tribute to the hard work of our staff. We are proud to have worked with Crisis to help more people into their own home in the private rented sector, and it’s great to have the expertise we’ve gained over the past ten years recognised”.

Derventio is also one of four organisations working with Crisis on special projects. They will be helping develop materials to show the benefits of good property conditions in private rented housing.

Information and contact details for all of the Private Renting Champions can be found online at www.crisis.org.uk/pages/private-renting-champions.html