Help to Rent Edinburgh

Help to Rent Edinburgh is a new service, commissioned by City of Edinburgh Council and run by Crisis, to help people who are currently homeless in Edinburgh to find and keep a home in the Private Rented Sector (PRS).

All referrals to Help to Rent Edinburgh will initially come from housing officers in the Council’s homelessness service. We are unable to take referrals from other agencies at this time. Check below to see if you meet our criteria. 

Referral criteria

You can be referred to Help to Rent Edinburgh if you are a family, a couple or a single person who:

• has been assessed as homeless by City of Edinburgh Council
• has a local connection to Edinburgh
• wants a private let (in or outside Edinburgh)
• is not excluded from Housing Benefit (for immigration reasons)
• can commit to saving up your own deposit over time, once you’re housed
• can manage a private let, with or without support

If you can answer yes to all of these, ask your Housing Officer who is dealing with your homelessness case, to refer you to Crisis. We’re sorry but we cannot take self-referrals at this time.

What we can help you with

We can work with you to find, move into and keep a private let.  This includes:

• finding a place to live
  • working out what you can afford
  • benefit checks and maximising your income
  • finding a flatmate or a flat-share
  • training and advice on managing a tenancy

• getting an offer and moving in
  • talking to landlords and going to viewings
  • getting a deposit and paying rent in advance
  • finding furniture
  • setting up bills, Council Tax and rent payments

• keeping a flat
  • settling in and arranging any support you need
  • saving up for your own deposit over time
  • communicating with your landlord
  • helping you sort out any tenancy problems

• getting other help you might need
  • free classes – such as IT skills, ESOL or cooking. Check out our timetable
  • finding a job, training or voluntary work
  • getting support from other services

If you're looking for a property to rent download the Prospective tenant leaflet for more information

If you are a Housing Officer looking to refer a client download the Housing Officer leaflet for more information