Let your house to Torridge council

Q: Does Torridge council work with private landlords?

Yes. Torridge runs "Private Sector Leasing Scheme" (leasing scheme). Term: up to four years. Rent: a competitive rental income paid monthly in advance and guaranteed for the duration of the lease, even if the property is empty. Source: the council's own page, checked 2026-09-28.

What Torridge 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. Torridge runs "Private Sector Leasing Scheme".

The scheme page now states: 'Torridge are not currently looking to take on any properties. Please do not contact us at this time.' Terms above come from the council's March 2022 article (torridge.gov.uk/article/20753) which describes the lease scheme and the deposit and rent in advance help. Treat as a paused scheme.

SchemePrivate Sector Leasing SchemeTypeleasing scheme: the council takes a lease and pays you as its landlordTermup to four yearsRenta competitive rental income paid monthly in advance and guaranteed for the duration of the lease, even if the property is emptyIncentivesNo letting agent or management fees; no liability for council tax or utilities when empty; council arranges and pays for tenant damage repairs; property returned in the same condition excluding fair wear and tear; guaranteed vacant possession at the end of the lease. The council also helps landlords letting directly by paying the deposit and rent in advance.What they wantFamily sized unfurnished homes with modern facilities across the district, particularly Bideford and Northam; the 2022 article asked for 1-bed and 4 to 5 bed homes.Council pagetorridge.gov.uk/article/11321/Private-Sector-Leasing-schemeChecked2026-09-28

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