Council leasing by council › Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Let your house to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council

What Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole offers private landlords who want the council as their tenant or their letting agent, in the council's own words, with the page to apply on.

Yes. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole runs "Help to Let scheme".

Help to Let pays landlords a one-off incentive plus deposit and first month's rent to let to council-nominated households on a periodic tenancy; the landlord keeps the tenancy. BCP also has a separate rent deposit scheme page. Contact helptolet@bcpcouncil.gov.uk.

SchemeHelp to Let schemeTypelandlord incentives: cash, deposit guarantee or rent in advance to house a council nomineeTermPeriodic tenancy; 12 months nomination rights for HMO roomsRentAffordable rent (for HMO rooms)IncentivesOne-off payments by property size: room 400 pounds, studio 1,200 pounds, 1 bed 1,200 pounds, 2 bed 1,800 pounds, 3 bed 2,000 pounds, 4 bed 2,500 pounds; plus 1 month's rent in advance and a deposit; for HMO rooms a cash incentive up to the value of the previous HMO licence fee plus deposit and first month's rent for 12-month nomination rights; referring letting agents receive 250 poundsWhat they wantRooms, studios and 1 to 4 bed properties with smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm where solid fuel is used, valid EPC, electrical safety and gas safety certificatesCouncil pagebcpcouncil.gov.uk/housing/help-for-landlords/grants-and-assistance-forChecked2026-09-28

New: How council schemes compare, what you give up, and a ready-to-send email to your council

How these schemes work

Councils have a duty to house people they accept as homeless and a shortage of their own stock, so many lease or manage private landlords' houses instead. The common shapes are a lease of three to five years where the council becomes your tenant and pays rent whether the house is occupied or not, a management arrangement where the council lets and looks after it for you, or a one-off incentive (a cash payment, a deposit guarantee, rent in advance) for taking a council-nominated tenant on a normal tenancy. Terms, rent levels and what they want vary by council and change with demand, so treat every page here as a pointer to the council's own page, not a quote.

Before you sign

Check the same things you would for any let: whether the address is inside an HMO Article 4 area if the council plans to house more than one household, which licensing applies, and what the LHA rate is, since many schemes pay at or just under it. The free HMO Article 4 checker tests any postcode; Kerbio shows all three on the Rightmove listing before you buy.

See this on every Rightmove listing.Kerbio puts the Article 4 answer, licensing, the council's HMO register and sold prices on the Rightmove, Zoopla or OnTheMarket page itself. Free for 7 days, then £39 a month.

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Source: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council, read 2026-09-28. Schemes open and close with demand; confirm with the council before relying on any figure.