The Foundation aims to advance education about housing rights and obligation in the private rented sector and the use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to deal with conflicts between landlords and tenants. The Foundation’s objectives are to:
• Advance education about housing rights and obligations in general, and in particular about:
o best practice in the management of private rented housing;
o legal rights and obligations which are of particular relevance to those who are involved in the provision or management of private rented housing or who hold tenancies within the private- rented housing sector; and
o use of alternative dispute resolution processes for the more efficient and effective resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants.
• Advance conflict resolution through promoting the use of alternative dispute resolution processes for the more efficient resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants within the private rented housing sector.
The private rented sector in England and Wales now houses 4.477 million households (c10m individuals), represents 18.3% of all tenures and is now larger than the social rented sector. As such the services provided by the Foundation are intended to be beneficial to those landlords and tenants who may not have a good understanding of their respective rights and obligations.
In order to be awarded a grant, applicants must put forward a bid, in accordance with the guidance which can be found on the Charity’s website. Grant applications are discussed at most board meetings, where a final decision is then reached on whether the bids comply with the requirements and objectives of The TDS Charitable Foundation and whether there are adequate funds to fund all compliant bids.
Please note that the Trust has recently reviewed its approach to grants and has started to move to more of a commissioning model. The Trust did, however, consider several possible new projects in 2022-2023 and agreed to a grant of £41,460 to one project. It is likely to want to develop partnerships with organisations in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector as it develops its approach to commissioning, so it’s worth making contact with if your work aligns with the Foundation's objectives.
Further information about the Foundation and its grant-making can be found on its website. A 'Contact Form' is available for online enquiries.