Council leasing by council › North Devon

Let your house to North Devon council

Q: Does North Devon council work with private landlords?

Yes. North Devon runs "Lease your property to us" (leasing scheme). Term: Termination bonus paid only after two years; lease length not stated on the pages read. Rent: Rent paid quarterly in advance at competitive rates, guaranteed whether the property is occupied or vacant. Source: the council's own page, checked 2026-09-28.

What North Devon 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. North Devon runs "Lease your property to us".

The council leases the property to provide temporary accommodation for people in housing need, handles day to day management with no direct tenant contact for the landlord, and pays guaranteed rent quarterly in advance. Landlords must insure to full reinstatement value with £2m public liability and hold gas and electrical certificates; serious disrepair found on inspection will trigger enforcement even if the lease is not taken up. Contact 01271 388870 or housingoptions@northdevon.gov.uk.

SchemeLease your property to usTypeleasing scheme: the council takes a lease and pays you as its landlordTermTermination bonus paid only after two years; lease length not stated on the pages readRentRent paid quarterly in advance at competitive rates, guaranteed whether the property is occupied or vacantIncentivesCouncil pays gas, electric, water and council tax when the property is empty; takes responsibility for up to five minor repairs every year; repairs tenant or council damage not covered by insurance; a termination bonus at the end of the lease as a contribution towards redecorating (normally a month's rent) after two years; guarantees vacant possession at the end of the lease; quarterly inspectionsWhat they wantUnfurnished properties in good condition with adequate heating, particularly in Barnstaple, South Molton and Ilfracombe, especially on a bus route, where there is demand for that sizeCouncil pagewww.northdevon.gov.uk/housing/private-rented-housing/lease-your-properChecked2026-09-28

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.

Add to Chrome

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