Our work with the Private Rented Sector
What is the Champions Network?
The Champions Network is our place for promoting equality and reducing discrimination in the Private Rented Sector. It is part of Gwent BOOST, a five-year lottery-funded consortium project with a focus on collaboration, co-production and community-building.
The Champions Network comprises tenants, landlords and agents from across Gwent who are dedicated to ending inequality and discrimination in private renting. They work with our Project Manager to co-produce materials for promoting equality best practice across the sector.
Read on to find out more.
What We Do
Our Champions are tenants and landlords with current or recent experience of the Private Rented Sector.
Whether professional expertise or lived experience, each Champion brings their own unique insight to the project and is directly involved at every stage.
Champions meet regularly with the PRS Manager and and co-produce resources such as information guides, training materials, blogs, articles and case studies.
As a Champion, you will lead on important work to address inequality in renting, showcasing best practice and paving the way for others to do the same.
You can register your interest here:
Through our work with Champions and PRS stakeholders across Gwent, we produce publications and training on all things equality in the PRS.
From online sessions about accessibility and anti-racism, to best practice guides about mental health and hoarding, we are responding to feedback from landlords, agents and tenants about which topics you will find most useful.
Click ‘Upcoming Online Sessions’ to book a spot, and see the ‘Downloadable Guides’ section for all publications published to date.
We are present across Gwent – in person and online – to meet and learn from as many tenants and landlords as possible.
Through landlord fora, stakeholder meetings and community drop-ins, we offer platforms for people to regularly come together to discuss all things EDI in the PRS.
See our Case Studies, Newsletters and Blogs to get a flavour of what we have learned.
Downloadable Guides
All guides are available upon request in Welsh and other languages, in large print, and Easy Read formats.
Mental Health – Tenant rights in private renting
Mental Health – Information for landlords and agents
Mental Health – Support services in South Wales
Blogs
FAQs
Yes! Although this project is funded for the Gwent areas (Newport, Caerphilly, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent and Monmouthshire), those living in other areas of Wales can still benefit from our work and take part. You can become a Champion, get in touch to find out more, or just browse the page to make use of the information and resources.
You can give as much or as little of your time to the project as you wish. Some Champions meet with us fortnightly to work on project outputs, like the latest video or equality publication. Others simply offer ad-hoc ‘consultancy’ by answering questions by email or phone. This is a very flexible arrangement and we can fit in with your availability.
We know that most landlords do a great job and just want to provide a decent home for their tenants. We also recognise that some landlords go above and beyond to support tenants who are struggling, and that this can have a significant impact on their own wellbeing.
That’s why we want to make it easier for landlords to get the right support and information when they need it. It’s also why we are celebrating best practice wherever we see it – and helping more landlords and agents to achieve equality best practice.
Tenants in the Private Rented Sector are offered training and information through a variety of means. For example, Shelter Cymru has training for tenants to know their rights and responsibilities in renting, and Rent Smart Wales has a detailed guide for tenants who are thinking of renting.
However, we know that there is a lack of support and training for tenants and that’s why are developing new resources, such as a guide about taking care of your mental health as a tenant.
We are also working with stakeholders across Gwent to develop courses for tenants to know their rights and responsibilities when renting.
No! We welcome anyone who has experience or expertise in the PRS – current or previous. Your input will be valued whoever you are and we do not want anyone to feel as though they cannot participate. However, we especially welcome applications from those who are part of underrepresented groups, such as people of Black or Minority Ethnicities, those who are LGBTQ+ and those with Disabilities.
We know that more training and information alone is not going to solve the housing crisis. However, every small step counts, and sometimes having the right information or support can make all the difference.
For landlords, knowing how to support a tenant in trouble can help avoid lengthy and costly court processes. For tenants, knowing your rights and responsibilities can help you maintain your tenancy.
We want people to feel more confident with their responsibilities around EDI and for incidences of discrimination to become less and less frequent.
Landlords should have confidence in letting to a diverse range of tenants, and should know how to support them if something goes wrong.
We want those from diverse backgrounds to feel safe in the Private Rented Sector, and to have the same chances of a suitable and secure home as anyone else.
The Network is run by Tai Pawb, who are a charity promoting equality in housing across Wales. The Project Manager for the Champions Network is Anna Tuhey and you can get in touch with her at anna@taipawb.org.
Anna runs all the activities alongside the tenant and landlord Champions.