DSS available in add

OpenRent Chat
1

Hi,

Just want to know when landlords accept DSS options available in the app but in reality they refuse. Is there any action that ‘Openent’ can take?

Secondly, if landlord accepts DSS and wants to do reference check then how this works?

Thanks

2

they may consider and reject you just as they may consider a person in work and still reject them, Its the landlords place they can chose the best for themselves.

3

the reference is no different in that it will look at your ability to pay the rent and determine the risk

4

Hi all
We have people on benefits in our accommodation, we seem to label these people as bad. Some of my best tenants have been on benefits, the problem is not the people its the system. How the hell can it be right to give some one with little money my rent. Its a joke and that’s why landlords today want working people only and can you blame them.

2 Likes
5

got it in one. got it in one

6

Hi,
It depends what you call ‘people on benefit’. I am talking about the situation where someone is working full time, never been on benefits and it will be on maternity pay which is low in this country.
If you consider someone who wants to have only easy life and claim benefit all the time then yes I agree I would avoid tenants like these.

7

then a person in that situation would need to explain to a landlord the situation.

8

Hi Elzbieta,

If you think that a property on the site is not advertised accurately, then you can press the report listing button on the listing page and submit any comments/evidence you’d like to share with the team.

Yes, absolutely. We want all our properties to be advertised accurately and well challenge landlords that do not do so. Of course, the vast majority of landlords do advertise their properties accurately, as it is in their interest to do so, so they only receive applications from tenants they might let to.

This will proceed just like any other referencing check. The landlord needs your permission, phone number and email to begin referencing. It is quite likely that people who rely on benefits for income will be returned as a ‘fail’, because the referencing companies do not treat benefit income the same as earned income. (We have raised this as an issue in the industry several times, including with senior government advisers.)

But failing referencing does not mean the tenancy can’t go ahead and OpenRent makes no recommendation at all on this. We are here to support landlords who wish to proceed with tenants who failed referencing.

It is up to landlords who they wish to let to.

As @Colin3 says, just as a landlord who ticked ‘students accepted’ may decide not to let to a specific student, so too may landlords who indicated they are able to let to people on benefits decide not to let to a specific tenant claiming benefits.