Should I pretend to estate agents that I'm not claiming housing benefit?

[ClairityVerity]

I am desperately trying to find a home to rent with my kids. Too long-winded to go into detail over why it's been so difficult to find somewhere.

Anyway. I'm a single working mother claiming Housing Ben/ Tax Credits, am very responsible, educated, good job, yadda yadda and am SO frustrated by the number of rental ads that say 'no dss'.

Am I right in assuming this is used as code to weed out tenants deemed to be socially undesirable? If so, would it be wrong for me to view those places anyway and then, once the agent has met me and seen that I'm just a sensible working professional, I'll give them the detail of where my income comes from? I have no intention of keeping up the pretence indefinitely; I just want to have a decent chance of finding a home!

No, from experience I can tell you as soon as you put in an offer they will check. And then they will simply say, sorry, no dss.
I managed to find a private landlord who accepted us and our cat :D so don't give up, it is possible.

It's not just up to the agent or even landlord - many Buy to Let mortgages have a clause to say it can't be let to anyone on DSS.

No.

They're not refusing you out of spite.

You'd be wasting your time.

As msfreud says, often it's related to the terms of the landlord's mortgage.

Damn! :-(

Thank you.

Sorry :(

How will they check? (I would give it a go if I was you!)

I'm a single working mother who claims small amount of HB and TC. I don't consider myself to be DSS though.

I assumed landlords who say no DSS mean people who don't work at all and only claim benefits?

Correct me if I'm wrong though. I privately rent and wasn't asked and didn't mention my HB claim.

Hope you get sorted soon though.

Yes, I am employed, and very sensible about staying within my means.

I would tell an agent at the point of making an offer that I was earning plus HB, though tbh I suspect this is what's been working against me so far.

I think I'd have to prove my income, which would mean I'd have to show them my HB/ TC documents, which is fine, I don't mind doing that. I'd rather be honest about it but don't want to be pigeonholed before they've even met me.

Well, I have a good (ie respectable) job but crap income without HB and tax credits. So I guess that's not quite the same...

they will check.

it is possible to get insurance for HB tenants in some circumstances. But if you lie, you invalidate it. That could result in all sorts of problems and they WILL affect you.

and of course if you are prepared to commit fraud, you must be prepared to suck it up if it is done to you.

but there's no need. It can be done honestly.