Expert Consulting Solutions for Local Authority Private Sector Housing Teams and Health Partnerships

NEWS - Blog

  • At last the Government Roadmap for the Renters Rights Act has arrived! 1 May 2026 will see the abolition of s21 no fault evictions and the wheel will keep turning for the other main provisions. Councils can now also calculate what new burdens (NBF) money may look like. Taking the full pot of £18.2M and dividing by the approximate number of private rented properties in England (4.4M) that gives £3.80 per property in nbf for the rest of 25/26. No news on how much for 26/27. It’s a start!

  • The Renters Rights act finally crossed the line and at last Councils can begin to prepare for implementation. But still no firm confirmation of when the main provisions will come into force and more importantly how much support is coming in the way of New Burdens funding!

About us

We are a company specialising in providing expert support for Local Authority Private Sector Housing Teams.

We provide capacity to build capacity within your teams, enabling you to deliver excellent services to meet the increasing demands of the housing sector.

We also specialise in supporting partnership working between health and housing.

Click here to read more about the services we offer.

“Teresa, working with our PS team, has provided a comprehensive report for action that has a clear pathway to ensure the Council can adapt to and adopt the Renters Rights Act. ………..Teresa was knowledgeable and is extremely experienced.”

-Jo Sands

Assistant Director Community Safety, Regulatory Services & Partnerships, Tamworth Borough Council.

Testimonials

Case Studies

  1. Private Sector Housing Support

Preparing for the Renters’ Rights Act: Tamworth Borough Council’s Private Sector Housing Transformation

August 2025

Project Overview
Teresa Howarth supported Tamworth Borough Council in preparing for the Renters’ Rights Act—the most significant private rented sector reform in 30+ years. With 15% of local housing privately rented, the council faced risks including increased homelessness (due to Section 21 abolition), landlord attrition, and heightened compliance requirements. Existing PSH capacity was constrained by limited resources and outdated systems.

Key Deliverables

  • Readiness Review: Comprehensive assessment of PSH structure, processes, and systems.

  • Action Plan: Phased roadmap for staffing, IT upgrades, and compliance alignment.

  • Communications Strategy: Targeted landlord/tenant engagement to reduce anxiety and drive compliance.

  • Strategic Recommendations: Sustainable funding and enforcement models.

Challenges

  • No integrated property database or document management system.

  • Resource limitations and operational inefficiencies.

  • Need for capacity-building without burdening the general fund.

Our Approach

  • Service Review: Structural and process analysis.

  • Stakeholder Engagement: Collaboration with PSH team and partners (e.g., Justice for Tenants).

  • Best Practice Benchmarking: Insights from other councils.

  • Action Plan Development: Capacity-building and system modernization.

  • Communications Plan: Educational campaigns and landlord forums.

Outcomes

  • Comprehensive Action Plan: Clear roadmap for compliance and modernization.

  • Enhanced Team Structure: New roles (Tenancy Relations Officer, Housing Enforcement Officer).

  • Modern IT Systems: Integrated property database and document management.

  • Funding Strategy: Leveraging New Burdens Funding, Homelessness Prevention Grants, and Civil Penalty income.

  • Sector Engagement: Amnesty period and targeted landlord forums.

Added Value

  • Capacity-building strategies to ensure resilience.

  • Innovative compliance initiatives.

  • Health integration opportunities aligned with Tamworth’s Health Inequality Strategy.

  • Sustainable growth through funding and enforcement.

    “Teresa, working with our PS team, has provided a comprehensive report for action that has a clear pathway to ensure the Council can adapt to and adopt the Renters Rights Act (when enacted).  We have already identified an apprenticeship officer for Regulatory compliance and based on the evidence are currently considering further staffing structure changes with information about potential impact of civil penalties and new burdens funding. Landlords are now more engaged and this is likely to continue.  Clear progress is now being made with our housing solutions team to consider ongoing tenancy support also. Teresa was knowledgeable and is extremely experienced.” - Jo Sands (Assistant Director Community Safety, Regulatory Services & Partnerships, Tamworth Borough Council)

2. Housing as a wider determinant of health - solutions

Working in the Suffolk System

Teresa has championed inclusive, collaborative and preventative approaches to tackling poor housing and health inequalities across Suffolk for over 20 years. She fosters a culture of compassion, openness and innovation and leads with integrity and vision. Her leadership extends from mentoring junior staff to galvanising multi agency partnerships. She unites housing and health stakeholders and this has led to the development of Stepping Home - a delayed discharge and hospital admission prevention service extending across Suffolk; Data led Core 20+5 programmes focussing on homes with poor energy efficiency and the evolution of the Suffolk Healthy Homes programmes ,working directly with the most vulnerable health cohorts and delivering housing interventions to reduce impact of the home, on the vulnerable residents.

Teresa was Highly Commended for the Inspirational Leader Award at the Suffolk and North East Essex ICS Can Do Awards in 2025

Health colleagues said:

“I am proud to recommend Teresa Howarth to receive an Inspirational Leader award. Teresa has played a critical role in our innovative Waveney home energy efficiency programme, which has for the first time used health insights to target those most in need of home upgrade grants. Through our pilot work Teresa has ensured those living in the poorest communities in Lowestoft and with chronic health conditions, receive practical and wellbeing support alongside access to significant grants to improve their home. This programme has only been possible following Teresa’s unwavering commitment, as demonstrated through a protracted IG process with the ICB, which required a calm and collaborative manner. Teresa has a clear passion for making a difference and ensuring local people are given the best possible support, and has designed an innovative programme to identify and help  those most in need. Teresa is a role model able to inspire others across organisational boundaries and different sectors. I am optimistic our pilot will demonstrate benefits for local residents, which are only achieved through our strong partnership  approach and the sharing of critical data. Further more, I am hopeful this pilot will be scaled further becoming our business as usual. Teresa is an exceptional innovator and visionary, very much deserving of this award.”

 Rachel Hunt

Head of Place Development, Partnerships and Planning