To think it's disgusting the amount of landlords who won't accept DSS?

[7hup]

My friend is 36 and just been kicked out by her boyfriend because she had a mental breakdown and multiple suicide attempts .

She's just been released from hospital and has been given a B&B room as temporary accommodation.

She has to claim universal credit as she is in no fit state to work.

Council said if she can find private housing they will cover her first month's rent/deposit/fees.

No where takes housing benefit.

It's unfair.

There's no council accommodation and no private landlords will accept it.

She's 36. No children. No pets. Doesn't drink. Doesn't smoke. Is quiet and polite. Keeps to herself. Clean and tidy. She just needs a home :(

Its working people too. My Dsis has a kid and can't move out of my mums because she works only 16 hours because of her son so would receive housing benefit. So she can't move either.

Even on Spareroom. Co. UK in our area there are 674 rooms.

ONE takes DSS. And is dou le the price of similar rooms

It's so unfair :(

To give the person on benefits the dignity of managing their own money... That worked well. The figures showed pretty much immediately afterwards that the entire system spontaneously combusted as people stopped bothering to pay their landlords.

And also means that councils don't have to deal with the ramifications of their cock ups.

When rent goes direct to the LL and it's late the LL gets on at the LA. Whereas when it goes via the tenant even when it's down to the LA fucking up they can just mess the tenant around and leave them to deal with their landlord.

Tenants should have the choice when they start receiving HB how they want it paid. That I agree with absolutely. It's ridiculous that tenants who want their rent paid directly cannot have it done without getting into arrears.

The wording of your AST is up to you...unless you bought one of those off the shelf ones they sell in the Range ffs (bet those LL's are brilliant)

I've asked repeatedly on these threads for someone to provide their insurance policy and the wording which refuses benefit claimants but nobody ever has. I don't doubt its there but it would be interesting to see how they couch it.

when will people realise they need to make provisions for their own living arrangements

Exactly, too many think everything should just be handed to them and take no personal responsibility. The bare basics should be provided as a safety net in times of need (not choice) but anything over that is down for the adult to get for themselves.

Everyone who's had a twatty tennant on benefits, why are you assuming that's because they're on benefits?
Not assuming anything but sadly the law of statistics in my case. The main issue though is that those on benefits are much more likely to require taking through the courts to be evicted and much less likely to pay for damage/loss of rent. Higher earners are more likely to have savings to enable a move and able to pay any money owed via courts.

@lalalalyra You make some excellent points on this thread.

A section 21 to seize possession with no reason is £355 I think. Hardly a massive burden.

I'm not getting out my violin for LL's anytime soon

The expensive bit is actually getting people out of the house.

When my tenant ran up rent arrears it took 6 months and nearly 2k on court and baliff fees to get him out. That's not including the rent arrears or damage.

Ironically had he been in receipt of HB I'd have been less out of pocket as I could have had some of it paid direct once he was in enough arrears.

YANBU. It should be outlawed. It's little different to the old days of "No blacks, no Irish".

(With any luck it may be outlawed on the grounds it's indirect sex discrimination, since housing benefit claimants are disproportionately women.)

To landlords who say their insurer (or lender) imposes the restriction: You still decided to go with that insurance policy.

It reminds me of the No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs sign.

YANBU OP.

It means that those with mental health problems are left to fend for themselves or rely on the kindness of others.

I wonder how many MPs had an extra person at their table at Christmas.

I totally own outright a small flat in London and the rent from that pays my house rent in Yorkshire for my daughter and I, I have to be really careful who I long time rent to as it pays for my rent here sadly I prefer private rented and non on benefits, sadly tho only 2 times I have had problems are the people on benefits

It's not disgusting at all, why can no one use that word correctly anymore

Of course a landlord is going to want to minimise the risks of losing rent and avoid damage to their property. Statistically the best way to do that is not to rent to DSS tenants, you can't blame the landlords, it's the crap tenants who've led to the current situation.

Cross post Safariboot!

Smile used to own a couple of rental properties back when the Council paid to Landlords Direct.
Then it changed so the tenants were paid the housing benefit and they were supposed to pay it to the Landlord.
Both sets of tenants didn’t and ended up with arrears, which mil being soft gave them time to pay. By the time they were all evicted it had cost her £5000 in lost rent (not to mention the damage to her property).
A year later she had a letter from The Council to say that as one set of tenants had been illegally claiming housing benefit she was liable to repay it - despite never having recieved it. It was sorted out but cost her solicitors costs too.
We think the whole debacle cost about £10000. She will never rent to non working people again

@HelenaDove Thanks. I've been a tenant before I was a LL so have seen both side of the coin.

And I'm a LL because I kept the flat I was left by my grandparents (who brought me up) when I moved in with DH until I was sure it was going to work. He was "luckily" mortgage free because he was widowed in his early 20's so I wanted to have a back up for me and my girls if it went tits up. And the only reason I kept it on longer is because my first tenant was there for 11 years.

But there's no rules on good or bad landlords, just on decent people who might be having to temporarily claim DSS. It's unfair, but only for one side apparently
They are also godd landlords who get good tenants and vice clversa and everyone is happy. My current tenants said I was the best landlord they ever had. Theycesi ly have been my best tenants. I dread them announcing they are going even though they tell me they love it there and have no intention to go.

often get patronized until people realise I'm not a child

Oh god, same. I look young too, with the added bonus of being short - add the fact I'm currently fitted with braces...joy!

I went to a talk the other day about prejudice/discrimination and the speaker detailed how most discriminated group wasn't ethnic minorities or females as you might expect, but the group most discriminated against are young people. That's another thread...

I do think there should be more regulation of landlords. There's a couple of landlords locally who hate me because I say that frequently.

There should at least be a basic test to show that you've read a minimal amount about the law so that you know you can't let yourself in with 24 hours notice etc rather than just letting people make it up as they go along.

@lalalalyra I think the stereotype of all housing associations = good and all private landlords = bad is just that.........a stereotype.

Some private landlords like yourself are very fair and understanding.

There is good and bad in all camps like in most things.

Does 'No DSS' cover those in receipt of HB but not actually out of work?

@lalalalyra, why did it take 6 months? Surely once he was in arrears you issued notice? Section 8 for rent arrears and it gives 14 days notice. How did it take 6 months

@Drookit, yes it does. HB irregardless of employment is counted as DSS (which doesn't actually exist anymore)

And once again, SEVEN OUT OF 8 HOUSING BENEFIT CLAIMANTS ARE IN WORK

the way workers rights and wages have been eroded surely theres the risk that there will be no one to rent to.

I cant see a middle class professional renting off Fergus Wilson for instance, and putting up with lack of repairs

There should at least be a basic test to show that you've read a minimal amount about the law so that you know you can't let yourself in with 24 hours notice etc rather than just letting people make it up as they go along
Totally agree with that.

Some private landlords like yourself are very fair and understanding
Im not fair or understanding because that's not my role and don't expect my tenants to be either, ie. Expect them to leave before the end of a fixed term if I had a very good emotive reason to need to sale the property or move back.

What I am is a god landlord because I know the law and what I can and can't do, should and shouldn't.

My current tenants said I was the best landlord they ever had

Same! I treat my tenants with respect. All I ask is rent paid on time and to be kept informed of repairs - I don't even mind damage, as long as I get told what's wrong so I can put it right.

Mine get chocolates and wine for Christmas which is something small but goes a long way, and they've all stayed in touch after moving on to buying their own homes. We helped family house hunt - gutted to lose them as tenants but delighted to help set them up in their own home.

But good landlords are a rarity, I've heard just as many horror stories about rogue LL as I have rouge tenants.

@lalalalyra, why did it take 6 months? Surely once he was in arrears you issued notice? Section 8 for rent arrears and it gives 14 days notice. How did it take 6 months
Because the law, when it comes to eviction, protects tenants. So yes, sadly it can up to 9 months to evict a tenant without a pen y paid in rent even when doing nothing wrong and that is enough for being desperate to limit the risks both financially but emotionally too. Evicting a family is an extremely stressful thing to go through.

As one or two PPs have said, it’s the structure of the housing market that’s really at fault.

I do think there’s a good argument for the compulsory purchase of second etc properties so that they can be passed into the social housing sector.

We also need much better provision of hostels and supervised HMOs for those outside the mainstream of social housing.

Buy-to-let is closing off too much of the housing stock for those who can’t meet the criteria. I don’t say any of this out of some Corbynite spite for property owners; just a real concern that we must do something radical about housing sooner rather than later.

In the meantime I don’t blame private landlords for having to factor in the poor behaviour of too many DSS claimant tenants.