‘No DSS’ when renting

[ihavetogoshoppingnow]

When estate agents say no DSS does it mean anyone on benefits at all or just people who are unemployed?

I currently own a house with my now ex and I’m looking at moving out and renting untill our house sells and I can buy on my own. I work full time but will be entitled to tax credits and housing benefit.

I personally wouldn't rent to dss. Universal credit is a right mess and I've been burnt.

@numptynuts
Good luck with that. When you get burnt by a dodgy tenant and it costs you £10k plus to get them out via the courts and you find your rent protection is invalid along with
your insurance you might take a different view. It’s very easy to say, much harder to do in the cold light of day.

@Abandoned
I don’t use an agent, I vet all my applicants personally. Whilst I have a lot of sympathy for your circumstances I’m afraid it would still be a “no” from me. Until perhaps I have cleared the mortgage and don’t have to adhere to BTL mortgage and insurance rules.
I agree there needs to be far more social housing though wth preference given to those unable to rent privately due to circumstances.
It’s not for private landlords to solve social problems though.

Ive been looking for 2 years for a swap, I was stuck in the worst area as I was homeless in a refuge so nobody wants to swap

It’s not for private landlords to solve social problems though.

No, it's on all of us to solve social problems. We all contribute in our own way so it's up to each of us to do what we can, when we can to make things better - not wash our hands of it with a flippant 'Not my problem, mate.'

These threads always get me really, really pissed off.

No, it's not ok for people to be denied a basic roof over their head because they need some kind of benefits. And it is absolutely discrimination in the case of people who claim ESA and PIP.

It's abhorrent and it should be illegal.

Blame those who don’t pay the rent / trash the rentals as well then. It can’t only be the fault of the landlords, and I say this as a tenant not a landlord myself.

@NukaColaGirl

I’m not a fan of property as investment and the BTL market but I understand that the housing market is what it is. I don’t think bashing private landlords is particularly constructive or helpful on this thread. Some discriminate against benefit claimants and some don’t. All landlords are working within the system, some are fair and some aren’t. It’s up to the government to legislate to protect the rights of tenants and people on benefits, and it’s up to governments (national and local) to build or buy more social housing and stop fucking selling it. It’s government policies that led to the housing crisis. In a capitalist economy, corporations and individuals will profit from it, and that’s unethical, but the only way to change that is to vote for representatives who want to change the laws and the system. Bashing private landlords on Mumsnet is not really going to cut it!

Brazen

Can’t find fault with your sentiment, but what would you suggest as a solution?

Big companies conduct business based on an appreciation of risk - so in the same way a young driver can expect to pay more car insurance than an older, more experienced driver, such companies have judged that a significant proportion of Dss tenants do not pay their rent on time and/or do not look after the properties properly.

I am lucky - in a good job with a manageable mortgage but I can see the landlord point of view. Why take the risk? Especially given the hassle around trying to evict someone and/or recover overdue rent.

I suspect the minority ruin it for everyone else

I managed my mother's house because she had dementia. Over the years I have found being a landlady a little easier. I have always allowed benefits and pets. It is a family house and the mothers with benefits have always been very good, as have the others. I would feel horrible denying someone on those grounds. Loads of single parents have benefits.

It means any housing benefit, JSA or benefits of any kind. It’s the new “no blacks no Irish”

There's nothing new about it, it was the case when I was renting 30 years + ago.

But the insurance on my mother's house is just buildings. It is not insured for tenant problems, although it is a landlord's insurance. She owns the house outright, not had anything mentioned in policies at all.

This is no new thing.

There was a time when you needed employment references and a letter from your bank manager in order to get a council house in order to prove you would be a ‘respectable’ tenant.

In my experience it means full benefit claimants so unemployed at

I rent, and work but also get benefits and it wasn't a problem for me. I'm not a high earner but could afford the rent (just)!

I also have a part time job waiting for me at Uni too - I’ll only be on full benefits till Student Finance kicks in in October. But even then I’ll still get a small amount of HB. I can’t commute from where I am living and only applied to my closest Unis anyway. I hate that I’ve worked myself into the ground this last year, and now I might miss out due to this, and it’s something I have no control over I’ve got straight Distinctions in my course and have scrimped and saved all year along with barely sleeping so I could study and work.

How long is the uni course? Do you intend to stay there after it ends?

If you’re going to be there for any length of time you could apply for social housing there

Won’t be a quick fix of course but worth a try

It may be worth noting that the Government is slowly increasing landlords responsibilities. The obvious one is the need to check a tenant’s right to live in the UK. But another, should the property need to be licensed, and the number of properties that do have increased dramatically over the past few years, is a requirement that the landlord take action to deal with anti-social behaviour by tenants, or face losing their license. Landlords can also face hefty fines should they let to two people who they believe to be a couple, but who are claiming benefits as single people, should the Local Authority rules say that a property shared by unrelated people falls under their HMO provisions.

It’s a minefield, made harder by the fact that it is expensive and time consuming to evict bad tenants. So understandable perhaps that landlords may choose to play safe and stick to ‘profs only’

I’m not on a one woman campaign to keep people out of housing.

No but you are a cog in the system. Would it really cost you to point out to your mortgage provider they are forcing you to break the law?

There's nothing new about it, it was the case when I was renting 30 years + ago.

30 years ago most working people did not claim any benefits, now lots do. 30 years ago it was easier to buy a home.

NukaColaGirl

Check and double check benefits and student finance. I was able to claim benefits at uni due to disability (and at the time it was similar for parents) but if I stopped claiming benefits I could not get a student loan.

@theunsure Are you serious? Despite the seventeen years of perfect references from respectable Agents? Confirming no damage or missed payment...ever?? Wow

It's beyond fucked. I've mentioned on here before, after I became ill I couldn't afford rent where I was living so I had to move- it took me over a year to find a place. I ran my savings to zero and borrowed. I find myself incredibly lucky someone allowed me to rent and I live in constant fear they'll sell and I'll be homeless and just it's terrifying. I'm on higher rate ESA and PIP, life is already beyond hard but knowing no one will rent to you is brutal. I was told it'd be 20 years before a council property became available if I went on the list, and then I'm stuck wherever they put me, a hostel in a tiny village with no shops or something.

Added to this,I'm not allowed to try and save for a deposit for my own place, if I go over a certain amount I then have to stop all benefits an live on that then reapply. And if by some fluke I got enough for a deposit, from a relative or anything, there is no chance I could ever get a mortgage. It's a trap I'm stuck in, life would be a lot less stressful if there wasn't this 'all benefit claimants are scum and won't pay' attitude. Not all claimants are the same.

Tbh

I would set up a bank account just to receive HB or UC into and then transphere the money to your current account yourself....

Needmiresleep- yet nurses can end up claiming HB...

@Abandoned

Yes. Because you are still higher risk than the professional person/couple with an income of £50k+ which is who I usually rent to.
If the market changed and you were the only applicant then that might be different. I’d balance the risk differently. But currently I get 100’s of applications from young professionals with good salaries as house is near the station and several large business HQ’s so in demand for short term tenants (usually stay for 2 years).
I’m not claiming it is fair, but it is what it is.

I’m a lovely landlord, property in excellent order. Issues dealt with asap. I allow some pets (within reason, house isn’t large), I have never charged any fees to tenants. I have always returned deposits without quibble (only exception was my first tenant, through an agent, who left without paying final rent). But I will always choose the least risky tenant. Government policies can change and therefore so can your payments and ability to pay. Then I’d have no end of aggravation getting you evicted. I don’t need that risk when I have other options. I appreciate you won’t like that answer but I am just being honest.

@numptynuts In north or West Yorkshire by any small chance?!?! X

No sorry, east Suffolk

Blame your councils. They instruct tenants to not move out when they receive a section 21 from the landlord and they tell them they are not responsible for housing them unless the landlord goes to court and the bailiffs evict the tenants.

Hugely stressful for all.

I think theunsure's responses on this thread illustrate perfectly why the provision of rented housing should not be left to an army of unregulated individuals who can only by necessity operate in their own self interest. What a clusterfuck it is.

Good luck with your search, OP. As you can see from here, some landlords will be willing to let to you and some will not. I hope you find someone who will, but more importantly I hope the sale goes through quickly and you spend as little time as possible renting from a private landlord - it's not a nice position to be in.