Legal Services - Housing Legal Services - Housing

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council is seeking to appoint a suitably qualified and experienced legal services provider to deliver specialist housing and local government legal advice relating to the development and implementation of Private Rented Sector (PRS) leasing models to increase the supply of temporary, supported and general needs accommodation.

The contract will primarily involve advising the Council on the legal, governance, housing, subsidy, tenancy, leasing, and Housing Revenue Account (HRA) implications of various PRS leasing models, together with the preparation of associated legal documentation, agreements, templates and implementation support.

The work will be delivered in two phases:

Phase 1 will focus on detailed legal analysis and implementation support for a proposed PRS temporary accommodation leasing model, including preparation of legal documentation, risk assessments, governance support, policy advice and officer training.

Phase 2 will involve a comparative legal appraisal of alternative PRS leasing models, assessing their legal robustness, financial sustainability, operational implications and associated risks, together with recommendations on the most suitable model(s) for the Council.

The appointed provider will be required to provide expertise in housing law, local government law, property and leasing arrangements, subsidy control, housing benefit and universal credit subsidy arrangements, tenancy management, registered provider partnerships and statutory housing duties. The provider will also develop a suite of legally compliant template agreements and supporting documentation, including leases, tenancy agreements, management agreements, nomination agreements and associated notices.

The contract is expected to commence following award and will be for an initial period of 12 months with an option to extend for a further 12 months. The estimated total contract value is £50,000.

The Council requires a provider regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) with significant experience advising local authorities on housing, property and PRS leasing arrangements and a demonstrable track record of delivering similar projects within the public sector.