Renting privately

[Robert198812345]

As some of you may know, some private landlords won't consider anyone in receipt of housing benefit or universal credit, sometimes known as "No DSS" on adverts.

Out of curiosity if you lost your job for whatever reason, would your landlord throw you out because you would be reliant on housing benefit? Surely you won't need to tell them because housing benefit is paid directly to the tenant. The landlord would never know.

However I'm aware that there are issues where a claim can be void because the insurance company states it doesn't cover housing benefit claimants. Also anyone under 35 can be caught out as they are only entitled to the shared room rate. Also known as the LHA (local housing allowance) set by the council's to prevent rents from pricing people out.

Also final point, is it discrimination if a landlord refuses to house someone because they are on disability benefits?

[DaveM]

Fairly sure no DSS is banned as it is indirect sex discrimination as more women are likely to be claimants due to them being single parents and part time workers

[Mentholdan]

I don’t get it, DSS means rent guaranteed, unless of course it’s paid into the recipients account and they don’t pay it.

Years ago some landlords advertised properties saying no blacks or Irish. !

[DaveM]

The issue with having the rent paid directly to yourself as a landlord is of the claimant circumstances change but they do not notify dwp. You as the recipient of the money are liable to pay it back, not the claimant.

[Robert198812345]

There is still an option to have housing benefit paid to the landlord. 

If you go on openrent and type in any random town or city, see how many there are, then change the filter to accept DSS, honestly the number drops to almost nothing. Rightmove and Zoopla do not advertise no DSS.

Have you noticed the amount of student accommodation available, landlords will choose them over someone claiming housing benefit.

However if you are looking for a property and reliant on DSS, landlords and letting agents will ask for more up front and a working guarantor who owns a house and earns X amount a year.

Not all DSS tenants are terrible, house wreckers, non rent payers. I bet landlords have got working tenants that cause problems just as equally.