Private renting and Housing benefits/DSS

[TheDiblehs]

Hi there, I am currently looking for some advice. My partner and I are looking to privately rent a 2 bed flat. Where we currently are, a 1 bed flat also privately rented, we claim housing benefit, however, the 2 bed flat that we are looking at is cheaper, so we shouldn’t need to continue to claim housing benefit. We were wondering how this could affect our affordability checks and so on, what will the agent see when they do our checks. We haven’t disclosed to the agent that we are in receipt of housing benefit, and as it stands, the agent believes that with our current income we would be able to afford the property. We know we could just ask the agent, but we are worried that it could sour the deal, so to speak, because we are aware that a lot of landlords will not accept housing benefit (or, “DSS”), so if they see a previous payment due to receiving it for 1 bed flat, and despite us no longer claiming it, will just simply see it and think, “ah, housing benefit/DSS, no thanks”.

TIA,

Cassie

Housing benefit isn't the same as dds is it? Housing benefit is paid directly to you so I don't think you even have to notify them of that? Questions rather than answers but that was my understanding.

It is the same thing, it's just a weird name, might be an American term for it, but yeah... I know there's no legal obligation to tell a landlord that we receive it, but we just don't know if it is something that they can see when they do our affordability checks

When I say DSS (Department of Social Security), I just mean Housing Benefit, as it's just what Housing Benefit used to be called, and is often used as an informal way to call it

I think that if the entire rent is covered by housing benefit the landlord's insurance is void if there is a mortgage on the property. If, however, housing benefit just supplements your income because of personal circumstances, it's none of their business but won't prejudice them against you