Our rent guarantor scheme for care leavers

We have a rent guarantor scheme for care leavers aged 18 and over.

When you want to rent from a private landlord, they will ask you for a guarantor if you don’t earn a lot more than the rent costs each month. The guarantor is a person who will pay for your arrears if you get into debt and get evicted.

If there is no other family member or carer who can be a guarantor for your property, then North Somerset Council will be a guarantor for you. You can apply for this scheme by speaking with your personal advisor.

The guarantee will cover rent only and damage to property. It will not cover utility bills. North Somerset Council limit's the amount it will agree to guarantee. The current rental limit is £800 per calendar month.

North Somerset Council will guarantee a tenancy agreement for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 12 months. 

If you want to stay in the property for more than 12 months, you will need to reapply to the scheme.

If you are applying for a property with other tenants, you may not be eligible. Speak to your personal advisor for more information.

We may also help with a deposit if the landlord asks for one. This would be paid directly to a landlord or letting agent as a one-off payment. We can only help if your rent is affordable to you. We will do this once.

There are different options which could be available to you. If you are claiming benefits, you can claim the one-bedroom local housing allowance (LHA) rate to help you with your rent.