We were commissioned by the Welsh Government to undertake an evaluation of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Leasing Scheme Pilot. The scheme seeks to support Local Authorities in discharging their housing duties to help people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness, and to expand the choice of good quality, affordable housing options available to prospective tenants.

The aim of the evaluation was to understand how the scheme is operating in the pathfinder Local Authorities: initially in Cardiff, Carmarthenshire and Conwy in March 2020, and extended to Ceredigion, Newport and Rhondda Cynon Taf in September 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were held with representatives of the pathfinder Local Authorities as well as tenants and landlords who had already joined the scheme at the time of the evaluation.

Our findings suggest that the policy has overall achieved the difficult balance between meeting the needs of tenants, landlords and Local Authorities. This is particularly important as the scheme moves toward a national rollout.

➥ The Evaluation of the Private Rented Sector Leasing Scheme Pilot and a summary can be downloaded at the Welsh Government website.