Lobbying organisation Generation Rent has picked up £2,500 from the new TDS Charitable Foundation – an offshoot of The Dispute Service.

Generation Rent, which wants to see rent controls introduced together with a ban on letting agent fees, is one of the first beneficiaries of the scheme.

The grant will pay for the production and distribution of a “Know Your Rights & Responsibilities” poster and a guide to tenants’ rights and responsibilities.

As well as Generation Rent, other recipients have been announced as follows:

National Union of Students

Awarded £20,000

The grant is for the delivery of a tenant training programme for students, rolled out through students’ unions across the UK.

Chartered Institute of Housing 

Awarded £6,300

The funding will support a complete revamp of the CIH website to fully cover the private rented sector aimed at both existing and prospective tenants and their advisers. It will be of particular benefit to recent migrants who are often forced into poorer parts of the sector and are unaware of their rights and find it difficult to access advice services.

Caerphilly County Borough Council – Equalities and Welsh Language Team

Awarded £5,000

The project is to produce models of equalities and discrimination guidance for private landlord groups, National Landlords Association, housing associations, Welsh local government and Citizens Advice Bureaux, which can be adapted to local circumstances.

Wansbeck Citizens Advice Bureau

Awarded £2,500

Wansbeck CAB will be holding sessions with young people and adult learners who will be shortly thinking about their housing options and young adults who may already be holding a tenancy. The course will enable them to be a better tenant by understanding how to conduct a tenancy and by being better informed as to what they are responsible for and what issues they can raise with their landlord.

Earlier this year, the Foundation invited bids of up to £20,000 each and says it was overwhelmed by applications from charities, tenant and landlord groups, local councils and other organisations.

Foundation chairman Professor Martin Partington said: “The demand for funding exceeded even our wildest expectations. Despite a limit of £35,000 per round of funding, we received bids totalling almost £500,000.

“The trustees endorsed those that were particularly innovative, or had greater reach.”

The Foundation, which works to advance education amongst landlords and tenants about private rented housing rights and obligations, has £35,000 available in each quarter to fund projects which support this aim. Applications for the second round close on September 9.