Rent Guarantee Scheme (RGS)

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This page provides information about the Rent Guarantee Scheme and guidance around how to get involved.

The scheme matches people who need homes with landlords who have properties to let. We pay the rent directly to the landlord, in advance. We also guarantee to pay up to six weeks’ rent as a tenancy deposit, to cover costs if your property is damaged by your tenants.

Landlords

Additional benefits for landlords are:

• guaranteed rent paid directly to the landlord, in advance
• up to six weeks deposit
• rent paid during void periods
• property viewings arranged within a day
• video inventories at start and end of tenancy
• vetted tenants
• tenants that have completed a tenancy skills workshop
• a completely free service

Your property can be furnished or unfurnished. We will inspect your property before accepting it onto the scheme to make sure it meets our legal, and health and safety standards.

We set our letting income rates, which is the amount of guaranteed rent that we will pay, each year on 1 April. The rates for April 2024 – March 2025 are as follows:

Letting type	Letting Income rate
Room in shared house (HMO)	£390.43 pcm
Studio flat	£847.69 pcm
One bedroom	£847.69 pcm
Two bedrooms	£1,092.00 pcm
Three bedrooms	£1,296.45 pcm
Four bedrooms	£1,649.48 pcm

You can use a letting agent to manage your property – let prospective tenants know if you do as it may mean additional charges for them.

Tenants pay their rent to us and save an agreed amount every month over a three year period towards their deposit. At the end of the tenancy you can claim against the deposit if there is any damage to the property or its contents beyond normal wear and tear.

Email rgs@reading.gov.uk or call us on 0118 937 2233 if you are interested in finding out more about the scheme.

Tenants

Please note: the information on this page is intended for landlords, if you are a tenant please visit the RGS information for tenants.

• have a local connection* to Reading
• be referred by the homelessness prevention team because you have been assessed as at risk of being homeless
• be receiving benefits or on a low income;
• have no other way of finding the deposit (we expect you to have exhausted all other means of securing a deposit)
• have a good tenancy history
• be actively engaging with any support services

*To have a local connection you must have lived in Reading for 6 out of the last 12 months or 3 of the last 5 years or work in Reading or have immediate family who have lived in Reading for over 5 years.