Could someone please explain to me, why is every single rental properties not accepting DSS. The government have made a new legislation again landlord stopping people on DSS. I ambon DSS and will be loosing my home beause of developments to the place i live. I need to relocated but, because im on Universal credits DSS im now unable tobrent any of the properties?. Would some one pleaee tell me why this has not bern changed on the property list.
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i just clicked on a few rental properties to check what you said “every single rental” none said no DSS.
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That’s what I ment, they are not accepting DSS
you misread it NOBODY I clicked on Said " NO DSS"
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I honestly dont get what you are saying, this screenshot is from just one advert. The X mean no DSS same as the X for not pets allowed. A X means not accepted a tick means accepted. Now prove me wrong please if im reading this wrong
Here is an example forba shared room portsmouth for £450 per month it states the housing dose not cover this amount? Really, all the rentals on every advert says " housing dose not cover this rental" what 450 a month??? Please explain this
From same advert???
All the properties i have viewed thos morning say the same thing? Please explain this to me
I will say it one more time, I have clicked on some adverts that accept DSS, they may not be in your area . You said EVERY SINGLE advert does not accept DSS . I have found this not to be true
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And i will day in responding to your comment that i will be reporting my finding to the appropriate people with my evidence that i have gound. You chose to ignore my screenshot which states local housing will not be able to cover the amount. What a load of rubbish. I live in this area and im covered for a lot more do how can £450 NOT be covered by the SAME COUNCIL something not sitting right here. So thanks for trying to explain but this makes no sense so the right professionals will sort this out.
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I’ve been told only a third of properties to rent on here take dss. I think that was by openrent aswell
That is a good amount .I knew that there is a lot of choice
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Its not good enough as far as im concerned. My example i gave above makes no sense at all. £450 and they say the benefits wont pay. No this is not right. I have read somewhere where it was mentioned Openrent and one other renting provider were the worst for not accepting DSS and what i found so far is honestly discrimination against people who are on DSS. Not good enough
It certainly is NOT good enough. There are good honest people out there who are for what ever reason are on Benifits and need a home desperately like myself, and not being able to find a home, is disgraceful and cruel.
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The screenshot above says “DSS/LHA Covers Rent” and is a factual statement - it does not say no DSS (that has changed from last time I advertised a property - it was a no DSS button then).
So, for example, my 2 bed houses in Derby have market rents of between £625 and £725 per month. The LHA rate for a 2 bedroomed house in Derby is £498.64. LHA does not cover the rent - fact.
However, that does not mean that I would not accept DSS - I have tenants in other houses on disability benefits (PIP, child tax credits with disabled children etc) so, although they are on ‘housing benefit’ (as was), they have extra income from their additional benefits that does mean that they can afford the rent.
I would also say that it certainly makes matters worse that the LHA rate has not increased since 2020: “The LHA rates from 1st April 2022 have been determined in accordance with The Rent Officers (Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Functions) (Amendment and Modification) Order 2021 (SI 2021/ 1380) and are the same rates that came into force on 1st April 2020.”
They are supposed to be calculated based on average rents in your “broad rental market area” (eg in the whole of Derby for Derby), but I don’t see how that can be the case when market rents have increased and the LHA allowance hasn’t. So, I am sorry, don’t blame the landlords here, blame the government who don’t set realistic housing allowance rates!
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Hi @Anne_Marie3
Thanks for your question.
The Local housing allowance (LHA) varies depending on the location of the property and is set nationally by Valuation Office Agency. You can read more about how Local housing allowance is set on the government’s website: Understanding Local Housing Allowances rates and broad rental market areas - GOV.UK.
It looks like the specific property you have identified is a room in a shared house in Portsmouth (based on the PO5 postcode). In Portsmouth, the maximum local housing allowance for a shared property is set to £78.81 per week which works out at £341.51 per calendar month (£78.81 x 52 = £4,098.12 per year. £4,098.12 / 12 = £341.51 per calendar month). You can check the LHA for Portsmouth on their website: Local housing allowance - Portsmouth City Council
As the rent for the property you’ve shared is £490.00 per calendar month LHA on its own won’t be enough to cover the rent.
Of course, if you believe that you would be able to afford the property using other sources of income (e.g. a salary or other benefits) then you are welcome to reach out to the landlord and explain your situation and why you believe you are a suitable tenant for the property. The landlord can then make a decision about whether or not to accept your application.
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good reply at last Will not make any dfference to the attitude of this person tho
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I sort of agree with what you are saying, but whatbi dont get is this, well i put a post up asking this exact question, but i live in wokingham Berkshire. Im on universal credit and they kindly pay my rent off £500 now i looked on open rent just to see who accepts DSS each and every one of the adds state No DSS but if you click on the X a box comes up stating the rent is not covered by the local benefits, so i found an add for a single room in a house share at £450 per month literally round the corner from me, and that little box popped up saying that this amount will not be covered by the benifits department. How dose this make sense, they pay mine at 500 but not cover 450 for a room. I feel its been put there by open rent and not the local benifit dept, we as dss people who are decent law abiding citizen’s are slamed by this
It’s no good getting angry with landlords on this site. All have answered the questions and your statements.
1 you said all properties - wrong
2 you said - the rent was not covered - correct - this explanation has been described very well. Read the text fully and carefully.
3 the error appears in a) your full understanding of the dss system and b) your understanding of the adverts due to mis reading these.
4 Therefore please seek help from the DSS universal team and I’m sure all will become clearer. The adverts are correct.
5 Whilst you kinda agree, that the specific facts have been given, they are the facts and these good landlords have given their valuable time and comments freely. Also you do live in an expensive area of the country.
6 the dss will help you with how much you can earn towards your rent before the benefits are effected, hence allowing you to work and help towards better accommodation. Employers are desperate for staff at the moment and they and 0000’s of vacancies.
Hopefully this blog can close now.
Good luck with your quest.
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In the area she lives it’s most likely properties for rent are saying no DSS,I’ve been looking for a year and rarely see a property that accepts DSS and the ones that do charge rent amounts that exceed the housing benefit cap ,one way of landlords making sure people on benefits can’t apply I guess it’s disgusting how landlords treat people according to weather they have a job or not as if that’s going to make the slightest bit of difference.
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yes I get that… In my area there is a lot more choice and i do not take any notice of what the benefit system pays I think of affordability,… do I like the person and their lifestyle… I have two tenants on benefits I have known for at least 22 years . No probs . Many landlords prefer employed and who can blame them . We do NOT want to be told who we can have in our properties
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