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Council leasing by council › Surrey Heath

Let your house to Surrey Heath council

What Surrey Heath 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. Surrey Heath runs "Rent Choice scheme".

The Letting a property page says the council will help 'find a tenant that you want', can 'help finance the tenancy' and 'will not put anyone forward for a tenancy if we think they would not be able, or willing, to pay the rent'. Landlords submit properties via a Jotform or contact housing@surreyheath.gov.uk, 01276 707100.

SchemeRent Choice schemeTypelandlord incentives: cash, deposit guarantee or rent in advance to house a council nomineeIncentives'The first month's rent in advance' and 'A deposit bond to help a tenant secure the property'; landlords can claim against the bond for rent arrears or damage within four weeks of the tenancy ending; free tenant-finding with no fees to landlordsWhat they want'single people and couples, and families of all sizes'; no property types statedCouncil pagewww.surreyheath.gov.uk/housing/help-landlords/rent-choice-scheme-inforChecked2026-09-28
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: Surrey Heath council, read 2026-09-28. Schemes open and close with demand; confirm with the council before relying on any figure.