Member

All this being said, I recognise that there is interest in this House in cases where a person is unable to find a guarantor, particularly where such a person is at risk of homelessness. I hope the House will therefore allow me to set out briefly the support and options which may be available where this is the case. First, it is worth noting that the measures we are introducing, which restrict payments of rent in advance at the start of a tenancy, do not apply to local authorities. This means that local authorities will continue to be able to pay upfront rent to help people on low incomes or at risk of homelessness to secure a property. Local authorities may also offer guarantee schemes to help people on low incomes or at risk of homelessness, as the noble Lord, Lord Fuller, commented. These local authority guarantors can be particularly important, for example, for care leavers who may not have a guarantor otherwise, or for a domestic abuse victim who has fled and has necessarily to avoid contact with people who may be guarantors. In some cases, professional guarantor services can help prospective tenants acquire a tenancy guarantor in circumstances where they would not otherwise have been able to do so.