Alma Economics was commissioned by the Welsh Government to evaluate Leasing Scheme Wales. This scheme is funded by the Welsh Government and managed by local authorities, offering property owners the opportunity to lease their properties to local authorities for guaranteed rental payment for 5 to 20 years. The aim is to improve access to the private rented sector, provide longer-term security of accommodation, offer affordability, improve housing standards, and contribute to reducing homelessness.

An interim report has been completed, including a baseline process evaluation using surveys, focus groups, and interviews. To understand the scheme’s delivery so far, we interviewed representatives of local authorities participating in the scheme and engaged with scheme-participating property owners through a survey, interviews, and focus groups. We also engaged a small number of tenants through a survey and interviews. To gain the views of those not yet part of the scheme, we surveyed, interviewed, and carried out focus groups with non-scheme-participating property owners.

Our findings suggest that future efforts could be targeted towards raising awareness of the scheme’s benefits for property owners, increasing the support and resourcing for local authorities to administer and advertise the scheme, and upscaling incentives for property owners.

We have moved into our third phase of the evaluation to assess emerging impacts of the scheme. This will include further engagement with scheme-participating local authorities, including those who have newly joined the scheme, through interviews and collecting monitoring data. We will also prioritise the engagement of scheme-participating tenants and property owners using interviews and focus groups.

➥ The report is available here.