Public Sector

There is a significant volume of rented property in Penzance in the Public Housing sector which is owned and operated by a Housing Association on behalf of the Local Government Authority. Financial support for housing - through the Housing Benefit scheme - is available to qualified recipients through the Local District Council.

Private Sector

Unlike the amount of property currently for sale, the actual and potential rented accommodation quota of an area is something which cannot be measured by any direct method. As in the rest of the country, Penzance has seen a marked rise in the rented sector in recent years. This is due to a number of factors including an earlier slow down in house sales, increasing numbers of short term employment contracts and the simplified tenancy laws. Together with the large amount of property in holiday use and the number of other under-used or empty properties this has led to the establishment of a substantial reservoir of accommodation to let. Much of this property is let and managed on behalf of its owners by a number of agencies.