DSS Accepted ?? Yeah right!!

[matjones]

Why is it that a lot of prospective landlords will not accept tennants in receipt of housing benefit. I'm a decent person thats found my self in a crap situation following a relationship breakdown and a redundancy . The landlords that will accept dss you still need to find 1 months rent upfront plus deposit and any agent fees in total this comes to about £1000 , How many people on benefits have this sort of cash lying around. Ive registered with 2 local councils but i dont have a realistic chance of a council property . Does anyone have any suggestions ???

desperate

[garethcthomas]

There are some insurance products that guarantee the damage deposits for a small premium. You could offer to pay the premium instead of paying a cash deposit to the landlord.

You could also arrange for a guarantor (UK homeowner) to guarantee the rent will be paid in the event you don't.

You could arrange for the rent to be paid direct to the landlord rather than via yourself. Local authority don't automatically do this, they prefer you be responsible for managing your own financial affairs, but if YOU arrange for this to happen then it might sway a landlords decision.

Borrow the deposit from your local credit union and pay the loan off as soon as possible. Interest rates are lower than loan sharks (!) and it gives you choice.

Some LAs will have a deposit bond scheme so they write a guarantee letter to the landlord to pay damages up to the amount of the deposit needed.

[Robin Ferrier]

the last reply was good advice. I rent some properties to DSS tenants but in truth my heart is in my mouth when I take them on. Heres why:

1. The authorities are slow to process applications and as such your cash flow is badly affected (lets not forget, buy to let properties are a business, plain and simple).
2. The default now is for the benefit to be paid direct to the applicant and not the landlord. This makes some landlords jumpy about DSS therefore. I have had certain tenants who received their benefit but didn't pay me and the council take little interest in such matters. The law also gives tenants generally the facility to default for many months before you can even COMMENCE court proceedings.
3. Some DSS applicants take a very short term view of their tenancy and are serial DSS house hoppers. Default and trash the place,then move on with a different identity.
4. Some DSS recipients think that their landlord is like a doctor. There to fix all their ills. One tenant of mine complained that my flat was infested with fleas. Her baby had pock marks which she attrubuted to fleas. I suggested she might want to check with her doctor before too long. It was chickenpox. Some DSS applicants can be very demanding in a way that private tenants generally are not.

This is not meant to be a rant about DSS tenants but is to reinforce the good advice given by the previous poster. Take the risk out of doing business with you. Hopefully this also gives you an idea of why some people say 'no DSS.' They are scared and to some extent rightly so. A good landlord dealing with DSS tenants has to make sure that they are scrupulously compliant with regulations, unfortunately some DSS tenants don't feel the same way.

I presonally don't even ask for an upfront deposit. I use the deposit service offered by the cyrenians charity.

Best of luck and if you want a chat drop me a line.

Robin

[Hotpend]

I believe the use of the words "no dss" is extremely offensive. How can it be right to decribe a human being as a "dss?" At one time offensive adverts such as no dogs, no blacks, no Irish could be seen. Now we see adverts such as "no dss, dogs welcome." So mans best friend is welcome when a person who needs to claim Housing Benefit is not.

[brian]

Originally Posted by Hotpend

I believe the use of the words "no dss" is extremely offensive. How can it be right to decribe a human being as a "dss?" At one time offensive adverts such as no dogs, no blacks, no Irish could be seen. Now we see adverts such as "no dss, dogs welcome." So mans best friend is welcome when a person who needs to claim Housing Benefit is not.

Why? It's just like the classic shop sign "Please do not be offended if we refuse to provide credit" or whatever it is.

[Sonya]

I think that DSS is referring to the method of payment of the rent rather than the actual person, but it encompasses both in most people's eyes. Well I did rent out to DSS people and unfortunately they left without paying rent - for three months. Because of the problem mentioned above, the money is paid direct to the claimant and not the landlord, and I did have to wait a few months for it to come through.

For me it just wasn't worth the hassle and as it is my property, I am entitled to decide who I want as a tenant living in my property. Just my view.

[Hotpend]

Your use of the words "DSS People" is offensive.

The attitude of private landlords towards people claiming benefits is as astonishing as it is offensive. Private landlords are parasites who live off other people's earnings. The majority of them do very little work themselves so are in effect private sector scroungers. In my opinion the ownership of property for the exploitation of others should be illegal. All properties owned for such exploitation should be nationalised and let to people who need housing at fair rents. Private landlords should be made to work for a living. They should be told that their something-for-nothing lifestyle is at an end.

[cotleigh]

Originally Posted by Hotpend

Your use of the words "DSS People" is offensive.

The attitude of private landlords towards people claiming benefits is as astonishing as it is offensive. Private landlords are parasites who live off other people's earnings. The majority of them do very little work themselves so are in effect private sector scroungers. In my opinion the ownership of property for the exploitation of others should be illegal. All properties owned for such exploitation should be nationalised and let to people who need housing at fair rents. Private landlords should be made to work for a living. They should be told that their something-for-nothing lifestyle is at an end.

Well, given that we are not likely to have a communist revolution to make this come about, you can keep dreaming.

Meanwhile, back on planet earth....

If DSS tenants did not fairly often cause big problems, why on earth would so many landlords refuse them as tenants?

No smoke without fire, and all that.....

[Comstock]

As someone about to be unemployed and homeless after uni, could I join in?

Originally Posted by Robin Ferrier

the last reply was good advice. I rent some properties to DSS tenants but in truth my heart is in my mouth when I take them on. Heres why:

1. The authorities are slow to process applications and as such your cash flow is badly affected (lets not forget, buy to let properties are a business, plain and simple).

Yes. This is as frustrating for claiments as for landlords

2. The default now is for the benefit to be paid direct to the applicant and not the landlord. This makes some landlords jumpy about DSS therefore. I have had certain tenants who received their benefit but didn't pay me and the council take little interest in such matters. The law also gives tenants generally the facility to default for many months before you can even COMMENCE court proceedings.
3. Some DSS applicants take a very short term view of their tenancy and are serial DSS house hoppers. Default and trash the place,then move on with a different identity.

As a potential DSS tennant I do understand, really I do. But it is so frustrating when I wouldn't dream of trashing anything.

As for being short term, I disagree. Give people a decent place and they'll want to stay

This is not meant to be a rant about DSS tenants but is to reinforce the good advice given by the previous poster. Take the risk out of doing business with you. Hopefully this also gives you an idea of why some people say 'no DSS.' They are scared and to some extent rightly so.

I do understand. But how do you convince the landlords who do take DSS to take a chance on you? Previously my main 'selling' point to a landlord is the fact that I'm a good payer. But when you are claiming DSS that is taken totally out of your hands.

[grahamwoody]

Crikey Hotpend

"Your use of the words "DSS People" is offensive."

Get a life, so you got offended. Nothing happened! get over it.

I do believe that there is a way of getting the rent from the council if the tenant gets into a certain amount of debt although Im not sure how much.

Maybe one of the gurus may know

G