Quite often it's the insurance that is the issue.

Can you offer to pay 6 months rent in advance or offer a guarantor? That might make a difference.

Landlords don’t like DSS as your payment can stop very suddenly and you may have no chance to pay rent, then they have to go through the rigmarole of evicting you, which is both time consuming and costly. If you’re in work you have the same chances of suddenly loosing a hub, however are more likely to find another one than someone who relies on benefits. No offence, just an explanation.
Best of luck in your search

Im really sorry you are going through this. There is a way around it, and its very cheeky on your part. However, its your right.

As you get dss, i presume its paid to you. In this case, the landlord is going to evict you, and you are not going to go anywhere. You are going to stay put. He will need to go back to court to apply to have the bailiffs evict you. That could take months. During this time, do not pay him the rent. It is not a bad thing because he will put this in his claim and his insurance will pay it. Do not pay him a penny when your tenancy ends. Do not leave the house until the day the bailiffs arrive. This will leave you at least 2 months, theres your deposit and your first months rent. You have rights, and he has insurance. Fair game. It sounds criminal but its not. The courts couldnt care that you havent paid your rent, because who in the right frame of mind is going to oay someone to make them homeless. Ive seen this done many times and it works for families like yourself who want to avoid the council. So to summerize. When the eviction day comes, do not open the door! Stay just like a squatter.... and prolong it as long as possible. Good luck in whatever direction you choose x

you could stay put (but PAY the rent) until you are evicted, and the council would hopefully rehome you as you would be unintentionally homeless?

or have a look for private landlords on gumtree or citylets, not very secure but if you're desperate

Most Landlords I know do take DSS so keep looking. There are lots of local property groups on Facebook, join them and then post to say you're looking for a flat and a LL who takes DSS. Think carefully about saying you're being evicted. It's rare for a LL to evict without good reason so it will put other LLs off.
You might want to ask MN to take down the pic of your children. We don't tend to post children's pics on here.

If she doesnt pay the rent AFTER he started evicting her - she still wont be intentionally homeless. Trust me, she can collect the rent from the point he starts proceedings to when the bailiffs turn up. Its been done by many, and the judge in my borough allows this from families with children, who obviously needed the money to move on.

Sorry you are going through this. Revenge evictions are common (has happened to me) and there's now some protection against it. Hopefully this will be useful

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housingadvice/repairs/revengeevictionifyouaskfor_repairs

A lot of private landlords don't have the choice to take DSS tenants due to restrictions on their mortgage terms.

Have you spoken with citizens advice or shelter, there are restrictions on landlord's serving s21 notices when repairs are outstanding and a tenant has complained.
Make sure you maintain your rights to possession, do not leave unless bailiffs turn up to evict, keep paying your rent, speak to the council and attend any court hearings. I used to work for a letting agent so I have seen how it works from the other side and how tenants can be given bad advice

@Lalilulelo and you idea is exactly why landlords don’t like accepting DSS if that’s the suggestion!

My local council have a list of private landlords who take tenants in your position. It might be worth giving your local council a call & put yourself on the housing list too as you and your children have special needs. It might not push you up the list but it's worth covering all your bases. Is your eldest child of school age? I had loads of help from the welfare worker at my son's school with sorting housing. Good luck

But if hes already evicting her then why not? Hes already kicking out someone who pays on time everytime. F* the landlord - they will claim it back from insurance... its the kids who are more important!! They need a roof.

@Lalilulelo classy - landlord insurance doesn’t cover non payment of rent!
Not discussing any further with you. Clearly have no concerns that just possibly the landlord may need to sell the house, just possibly the tenant isn’t upholding their end of the bargain- caring for their home etc.
Just screw them let someone else pick up the tab.
On another note - I hope the OP is having some luck finding alternative accommodation - pay your rent, a reference of consistently paying your rent on time will go a heck of lot further to a new landlord than not.

That is a retaliatory eviction. The council can stop it and when the landlord goes to court, it will fail. Realistically though you want out of this dump, so get the council advice in writing about the process. You may have to stay to the bailiffs.

As mentioned there are landlords whose insurance allows them to take benefits claimants.

The advice not to pay the rent is terrible as that will allow the council to class you as 'Intentionally homeless' and wash their hands of you.