Omega, who were recently acquired by Mears Group, have been awarded a contract to provide private sector housing letting, management and temporary accommodation services for Central Bedfordshire Council.The contract will support Central Bedfordshire Council through provision of suitable accommodation for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The accommodation will be sourced from the private rental sector and will provide tenants with decent homes at affordable prices.As part of the contract, Omega will source and acquire private rental properties for specific schemes and deliver management for various residential properties that are owned privately but used by Central Bedfordshire Council to help meet housing need. This includes properties subject to Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs) which allow local authorities in England and Wales to bring unoccupied properties back into use as housing.Finally Omega will be able to manage properties that might be leased to Central Bedfordshire Council, again to meet local housing need. The scheme, which uses available Government funding, will offer private landlords the opportunity to have their properties surveyed, upgraded to the decent homes standard and leased to the council, through Omega, for a guaranteed rent for five years.Omega is a leading provider of residential lettings and management services, providing around 1,700 properties to 24 Local Authorities and Housing Associations. The majority of the lettings are within the London area so this new contract further strengthens Omega Group’s presence in the South East.Demetrios Antoniou, Omega Chief Executive said: “We are delighted to have won this contract and we are looking forward to working with Central Bedfordshire Council, helping them to deliver quality accommodation for families and individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.”Cllr Carole Hegley, Executive Member for Social Care, Health and Housing for Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “To hear that we will be working with Omega is great news, and I look forward to a partnership which will allow us to continue to deliver housing for vulnerable people across Central Bedfordshire at a high standard.”