'No DSS' found to be discriminatory

[HorseFlyOfExtraordinaryLength]

letting agents and landlords are discriminating against women
Having had direct experience of this I am very pleased to hear that it is not legal and letting agents should not be using this reason to say no to prospective tenants.
Moreover lenders shouldn't be restricting buy to let mortgages.
Whether it actually has any effect on the ground is yet to be seen

I agree, it's discrimonary.

I work with Adults with Autism, Learning Disabilities, and mental health conditions. None of my clients are able to work. When looking at housing options it is depressing how many private landlords will disengage as soon as they realise a potential tennent is on benefits

I've often thought that should I win millions I would buy up property and let only to people in my situation-working, single mothers with children who due to separation from spouses are on their own, getting tax credits and housing benefit.
I work full time. I've always managed to pay my rent and it makes my blood boil that although I live in a house that's too small and has lots of maintenance issues I can't move because of the rules from letting agents, lenders and landlords.

Not sure how discrimination can be stopped though as landlords can still make sure they let the property to people who don’t claim HB, etc

I doubt it will make any difference in reality, sadly.

They may not be able to put 'no dss' in the advert, but they can continue to perform industry-wide discrimination through expecting high deposits, employer references and a guarantor...which would exclude a lot of tenants on low incomes due to unemployment, caring, student status, disability etc. If a landlord was prejudiced then they could always find ways to exclude certain groups. Rents are so high in many parts of the country that it would exclude many low-income groups on the basis of affordability anyway.

To be fair, if a landlord has a mortgage on a buy-to-let home, and they cannot claim mortgage interest as a tax expense anymore then I could see why they would be reluctant to rent to someone on universal credit who may get their payments delayed, or stopped suddenly. It maybe unfair to exclude someone who gets 'dss' but there are so many barriers to low income families in the private sector, and a massive shortage of social housing in most places sadly.

A huge problem is the fact that many lenders will not allow the mortgagee to let to benefit claimants.

Will this ruling change anything in this respect?

Well done to them

I find this really scary
I feel like I'm in such a vulnerable position just me and my little girl working part time and it's my nightmare that the landlord will decide he doesn't want us anymore

I agree.

My friend worked since 16 years old. Always had managerial jobs in retail. Had mental health issues but never allowed them to affect work.

A few years ago she had a breakdown, she has several diagnosis and she lost her partner because of everything and was made homeless.

She had poor credit due to her partner using her CC behind her back and opening new ones.

she is the nicest lady ever. Clean, tidy, wouldn't steal a 1p sweet.

She's been in a horrible temporary accommodation flat for 18 months now because she CANNOT rent privately as she is on Universal credit and PIP.
She is very sick and not having a home is making it 10x worse

Every single place she has applied to has said no DSS

apart from 2 private renters who wanted DOUBLE the rent for DSS receivers.

She's bidding on flats through the council website and she is still 'on red' meaning there's not a cat in hells chance of her getting any of them

It's so sad.

She would make a wonderful tenant.

It's so so unfair

LANDLORDS what do you think about this?

Also where's @HelenaDove ?

I agree with all of the above. I too think that sadly, letting agents will find ways round it. But its good it's getting attention and a legal ruling.

Good.

We just had to move 200 miles away from where we were living. Our landlord decided to sell and we couldn’t find another who was willing to rent to us - we claimed housing benefit top up and we both worked (in jobs for the local authority, they just didn’t pay enough to cover the high rents in London).

We were great tenants, both in work, impeccable renting history but were treated like scum bags as we had to have a bit of help.

I'm an ex mortgage adviser for a huge lender in the BTL market (national brand)

They insist on no DSS for mortgage purposes and on their landlords insurance offering. I asked our chief underwriter at the time why this was and they said statistically, benefit claimants and 15 times more likely to not pay their rent.

There is also the additional issue of people's claims changing and their affordability dropping (see those moving to universal credit). There's also the issue that most of the time the rent is paid to the claimant to pass to the landlord, rather than direct to the LL.

For those getting a top up from the state, I understand the frustration, but if you were putting your money down would you go with the option that was going be 15x safer with the same returns? Of course you would.

I agree it's shit, but landlords insurance is invalid if they take DSS claimants without declaring.

To overcome this, councils need to guarantee rent payments to landlords for benefit claimants & force mortgage lenders to remove this condition from their lending.

My FIL has an 8 property portfolio and is not allowed to rent to DSS claimants, despite him being the same price in rent as local housing associations.

It's not the landlords that need to change

I think a lot of the time (not all the time in case landlords come on here defending themselves) landlords/letting agents can abuse their power over you cos they do have power over you don't they
And I've learnt through experience that can twist the truth if they're that way inclined
I think some take pleasure in it

Some landlords do.
But yes the system allows for gaps in rent payments and so I can see why lenders would make this condition.

I'm a landlord, accidental one as we moved abroad with work and didn't have time to sell our house.

Like @StylishMummy said, my hands are tied by mortgage and insurance. I need both and I have to follow their terms.

In theory, I wouldn't mind 'DSS' if they can afford it but until the mortgage and insurance changes I can't do anything.

If you had a mortgage to pay, would you want to risk renting to someone whose benefits could get cut off at any time? It would leave you with tenants who can't pay (even though they probably want to) and who can't move out because they would be deemed to have made themselves homeless and you would still have your mortgage to pay.
I really don't think this is the landlords fault. It's too big a risk to ask of LL. Letting agencies are paid by the LL to get them the best tenant at the lowest risk, so not their fault either. This is the fault of the govt who won't offer guarantees to LL that they will cover all the rent/damages/deposits no matter what.

If you had a mortgage to pay, would you want to risk renting to someone whose benefits could get cut off at any time?

Yes, because someone working FT might get sacked, get ill... Same risks imo.

I think its great that something is being done to stop this. Its horrendous and its terrible its been allowed to continue for so long.

@sendhelpppppp but the risk isn't the same, statistically it just isn't the same

statistically maybe not but in reality either of those things could happen couldn't they?

I wouldn't feel right about dictating who could have a home based on whether they claimed benefits. It doesn't tell me anything about them as a person.

Anyone can stope being able to pay their rent at any time. Redundancy, illness, family split etc. It's not just those who claim benefits.

And I'm really talking about that group of women who are on their own, who work and get tax credits and a housing benefit top up or universal credit which includes the housing element.

There are mortgages and insurance companies out there who do accept people on benefits anyway

Exactly sendhelpppppp 'it doesn't tell me anything about them as a person'
A blanket No DHSS is labelling a vast group of people of very different circumstances.

Yes

I think you are more likely to get universal credit stopped randomly than you are to lose your job. I would not want my ability to pay my mortgage, to be reliant on the govt.