Maintaining tenancies: Gender differences among young people living independently

A change to the homelessness legislation means that more local authorities will need to secure accommodation for 16 and 17 year olds. Research conducted in Newcastle‐upon‐Tyne identified a number of factors that affected whether people in this age group conducted successful tenancies. Young women were particularly likely to fail if they were over‐confident, and the services that they benefited most from were advice about their tenancy conditions and rent obligations. In contrast, young men were more likely to fail if they felt inadequately advised about independent living, and so benefited from intensive visiting support. The evidence of gender differences, together with young people's reluctance to be provided with advice about their tenancy, presents a major challenge to service providers.