Council leasing by council › Colchester

Let your house to Colchester council

What Colchester 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. Colchester runs "Private Sector Lease Scheme (PSL) and HomeStep Scheme".

Run by Colchester Borough Homes 'on behalf of Colchester City Council'; the council's housing pages redirect to cbhomes.org.uk. HomeStep refers only financially vetted applicants with a valid homeless application. Contact cbh.accommodationteam@cbhomes.org.uk, 01206 580291.

SchemePrivate Sector Lease Scheme (PSL) and HomeStep SchemeTypea mix of leasing, guaranteed rent and incentivesTerm3 or 5 year lease (PSL)IncentivesPSL: 100% guaranteed rent paid monthly in advance, property returned in the same condition at the end of the lease allowing for fair wear and tear, CBH handles maintenance other than specified landlord repairs and certificates. HomeStep: one month's rent deposit plus a goodwill payment from £500 (studio) to £1,500 (3 to 4 bedroom).What they wantPSL: 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes in Colchester. HomeStep: houses, bungalows or flats in Colchester and surrounding areas, self or agent managed.Council pagecbhomes.org.uk/other-services/private-sector-lease-scheme-psl-and-the-Checked2026-09-28

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