Guidance & Training 

Below are specific private rented sector resources and guidance for survivors, landlords/letting agents, local authority housing teams and specialist domestic abuse practitioners.

 

COVID-19

DAHA had developed several resources for housing providers responding to domestic abuse in the context of COVID-19. For the full list of resources, please go to DAHA’s COVID-19 resource.

Below are the specific resources developed for PRS partners.

 

Survivors

The Private Rented Sector (PRS) Project is not a front-line service that directly supports individuals experiencing domestic abuse, however we will use this page to promote any guidance that may support survivors of domestic abuse to understand their housing rights and options, particularly with regard to the private rented sector. 

 

Landlords & letting agents

PRS landlords and letting agents do not have a statutory obligation to have a response to tenants experiencing domestic abuse and are not expected to be specialists in domestic abuse. However, we know that landlords and letting agents may be the first and/or only community members who a survivor may talk to about their experiences of domestic abuse, and it is important to equip landlords and letting agents with information and guidance on how to

  • identify the signs of domestic abuse,
  • respond safely and helpfully,
  • signpost to local specialist services, and
  • offer housing-specific support and solutions

We have worked in partnership with national housing bodies such as the Association of Residential Letting Agents and FixFlo to develop specific guidance for landlords, letting agents, and repair and maintenance professionals. Below are the resources currently available to these professionals. 

Specialist domestic abuse practitioners

We have developed developing specific guidance for specialist practitioners, such as domestic abuse outreach workers and Independent domestic violence advisors (Idvas) to support survivors living in the private rented sector and may need to consider their housing rights and options.

Local authority housing team

Training for Environmental Health PRS Leads

We know that PRS professionals within Environmental Health teams have a unique opportunity to go into individuals’ homes, sometimes unannounced and uninvited, where they may be able to spot the signs of domestic abuse and offer victim/survivors a safe and supportive response, and link them into specialist domestic abuse services. PRS professionals must be equipped with the tools, knowledge and support to do this effectively.

That’s why we have created bespoke half day domestic abuse training for PRS Environmental Health professionals, to enable them to:

  • Understand the dynamics of domestic abuse, including its impact on victims/survivors including children
  • Spot the signs of domestic abuse when supporting tenants and landlords, and when going into individuals’ and families homes
  • Provide a safe and supportive immediate response to a tenant/resident experiencing domestic abuse
  • Support victim/survivors to access specialist domestic abuse services
  • Support victim/survivors to access housing-specific support, such as Sanctuary Schemes, Flexible Funding and Co-Located IDVA services.
  • Advice Landlords/Letting Agents on how to respond and direct them to guidance designed for them.

We’ve recently piloted the training model with the Greater London Authority, where we offered the training to PRS Leads across London.  100% of professionals found the training useful and would recommend it to a colleague and that it helped them do their job better.

Learner feedback

“I found this training extremely useful. We are all aware of domestic abuse but this training really reinforced the importance of awareness and just how common it is. It highlighted that every person can do their bit to help. Thank you so much.”

If you’re interested in offering this training to your PRS Teams, please contact daha@standingtogether.org.uk

 

Training for PRS Landlords & Letting Agents

We know that many PRS Landlords and Letting Agents are aware that their tenants may be experiencing domestic abuse and want to know how to provide a safe and effective response, within their professional remit, and help them access specialist domestic abuse services.

That’s why we we’ve developed a bespoke half day bespoke training for PRS Landlords and Letting Agents that enables them to :

  • Identify domestic abuse
  • Provide a helpful response
  • Support them to maintain housing security
  • Refer them to local specialist domestic abuse support

We have worked with Local Authority PRS Teams, National Residential Landlord Association (NRLA) and Association for Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) regional groups to provide this training to landlords and letting agents, leading to improved knowledge and practice.

If  you’re a Local Authority or Landlord/Letting Agent Representative interested in offering this training to PRS Landlords and Letting Agents teams, please contact daha@standingtogether.org.uk