Man needs to pay admin fee to accept his new flat

We were approached to help a man who found himself homeless after a relationship breakdown.  He is currently in receipt of £160 per month in benefits which he has to stretch to live on.  He has been living in shared accommodation, however his depression and anxiety is making this impossible for him to endure.  He has been offered a small one bedroom flat, however the agent is legally bound to do background checks regarding the immigration status of each new tenant.  This costs £40, which the man cannot afford to pay.  It was this fee that we were asked to help with, which we were happy to do.