john 39 Spot on comment . No dss ever . I will keep my places empty rather than dss
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OMG 
Sally that’s the most horrific story i’ve heard , i’m so so so sorry on behalf of tenant s . seriously my heart goes out for you ,ur a hero lady .
It seems to me that her solicitor is dirty and that she s always a step ahead of you almost like she s read the manual . why don’t you try and outsmart her by ( ok maybe won’t mention how on here perhaps if there s a private chat ) message me on private if it exists on here because i can throw some suggestions because i seen and heard about this stuff .
bash
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also just like to clarify wasn’t thinking anything illegal btw .
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I don’t let to DSS as my landlord insurance clearly says that the type of tenants I can let to are employed or self employed. I’m not sure where this stands in law but they aren’t saying No DSS I suppose.
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Never ever take a Council referral. Never ever listen to a sob story and never ever take someone who does not pass full reference procedure. Those 3x will keep you reasonably safe from these issues. Can we all PLEASE stop saying DSS, its just not acceptable anymore! Just stick with these 3x criteria plus a full 5 week cash deposit held in your own account and appropriately protected within 30 days. Don’t use a deposit insurance scheme its my belief they’re going to go bust in next 4yrs too, they will keep having to pay out and learning, like us experienced landlords, that its rarely recovered. As soon as they make a loss these schemes will run for the hills…
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Hi Sue3
Can you explain how your able to keep the deposit in your own account please? How do you protect it?
My existing tenant is leaving in a couple of months and after reading all these negative stories about bad tenants and the DPS being biased toward the tenant etc I’m having second thoughts about letting again. I think it’s time to sell.
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Is that not a criminal case to pursue?
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I use MyDeposit scheme to protect deposit and keep the deposits where landlords can keep deposits in their accounts.
Sally - what a nightmare. I am so sorry you have had to endure this. What a salutary warning to the rest of us though, so thank you for that. I shall think long and hard before putting myself in your position in the future.
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No win, no fee solicitors should be made illegal. As far as I am concerned, they are no better than sharks. I have heard people (not necessarily landlords) describing them as parasites.
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Thank you so much for sharing your ghastly experience with us. How on earth is it possible that the legal system and the councils do not realise that this kind of abuse against landlords means loss of housing??..And no housing is bad news for responsible tenants, and for the country as a whole. Perhaps they rather have homeless people living in the streets or in temporary bed and breakfast, as their actions are conducive to achieve exactly that! Every single law that they pass against the private rental sector, means that they should be willing to invest in council housing otherwise social problems which affect us all as a whole, are inevitable.
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mercedes 1 They are ambulance chasers. Scumbags not interested in who is right or wrong., or even justice, only lining their own pockets
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You are naive. I have been a landlord since 1984 and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt, DSS tenants are the worst. If you are in an area that has workers then take them instead.
It really annoys me when I hear people like you giving advice as it is clear you have little or no experience in this area. We all start out like you but after many years in the game you soon realise to survive you have to adapt or die. I still take on DSS tenants when no workers are available but go in with my eyes open and still I can get burnt.
Why do you think insurers are now putting clauses in their policies that state you cannot let to DSS!
It is simply the law of averages.
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You still register the deposit with a scheme but you apply to have it in the Insured Scheme instead of the Custodial Scheme.
You have to pay a small sum to keep it yourself but if there is a dispute when a tenancy ends they request that the deposit amount is returned to the Deposit Scheme until the dispute has been adjudicated on or the Courts have ruled.
Sally 7 - My God that is a horror story, you would think we were living in a 3rd world country not the UK. Thank you for sharing and I so hope you can get a decent resolution. Your tenant is evil to the core and the legal nasties abetting her are just the same.
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I am on UC and I pay my rent to my landlord. If I was a landlord I would request a bank statement showing the rent going out month after month and on time. There should be no reason why they can not provide things like this! I would also insist on a reference from current landlord or even an unannounced visit to their current property (I offer this to any of my potential future LL… I was also in an abusive relationship and they had taken out a loan in my name I knew nothing about until I applied for a property and a CCJ came up and obviously I was refused however I advised my current landlord before he offered me the property and gave a full explanation as I feel far too many people are using DV as an excuse as to why they have bad credit etc. Yes I am one of those victims and I can’t do anything about it other than be honest! I’ve never applied for a council deposit as I’ve always had my deposits returned (I look after the property so never any issues) so maybe ask why they need a council deposit especially if they are already in a private rented home. I get that taking any tenant is always a risk be them being on benefits or not and I must admit I am absolutely in shock at what Sally is going through I didn’t think anyone could get away with such behaviour!
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Hi Sally
I am a tenant who is on UC and disability and I am absolutely shocked at what you are going through as well as extremely angry that these people can actually get away with what they are doing!! She sounds like a professional and as her father is a builder I wouldn’t be surprised if this is something they have conducted together!! How can the court make you pay for work that was A) carried out by a non existent company and B) even the EH have said it did not need doing?!! Also as far as I understood a landlord has to prove no rent has been paid and the tenant also has to prove they have paid! How the hell are UC allowing her to get away with it?!
I’m so angry that I don’t know how to help it’s just shocking. I already asked my MP why UC claimants are not prosecuted if they use the Housing element (rent) for anything other than rent because to me it should be classed as fraud!! I just want to point out that I have always been happy for landlords to ask me anything on what they should be able to obtain from a tenant on UC to help make a decision, for example I would advice them to ask the potential tenant how long they have lived in their current property (always ask this first) and if they say for example 2 years then tell them you want to see 2 years of bank statements showing the rent going out month after month! If they are paying their rent then this should not be an issue as I have done this for my landlords. I also give potential LL’ my current address and ask them to do a random visit to view my property so they can see how I look after it and how I live day to day! Some may find this intrusive but I say I have nothing to hide and understand why LL need to find every little bit of reassurance they can. LL are lending you something that’s the one of the most expensive things they own!!
I’m so sorry you’re going through all this and it is sickening that criminals like this are able to get taxpayers money to commit such fraud and pain! I would set up a Go Fund Me page and if you do please post the link I’d be more than happy to donate but in the meantime I will pray that justice is served correctly and that she is prosecuted not only for fraud but criminal damage and that you are compensated and she is left with no home. 
I really do wish you all the best.
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I get people in receipt of benefits don’t make them bad but as a UC and on disability I think what warning need to be taken is what is being provided for. It seams that those tenants using a council deposit is just a false deposit because it will always need to be paid by the landlord which is outrageous!! I’ve always paid my own deposit and always got it back so it’s just reused for my next property. I had no idea this was how help from council worked as far as deposits are concerned. I also thought that if a tenant became 2 months or more in arrears that a landlord could apply to have the rent paid directly to them from Universal Credit and could also request they take a further deduction to clear the arrears!! But if a tenant can lie and say no arrears and just keep getting it paid to them to use as they please then that’s absolutely outrageous and I had no idea this could happen (probably because I’ve never been in arrears) and it’s becoming very clear now the reason why I can’t even get a viewing or a reply on homes I have been looking at!! I think more needs to be done to protect landlords from tenants like this and I think the first step should be prosecuting UC claimants who use the UC housing element (rent) for anything other than rent!! Or better still always pay the LL direct!
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Just choose someone not on UC over them. I’m sure you can say you have been inundated with applications and it is taking a time to look at all of them.
I have had a couple of tenants that had a UC top up but were working. I also ask to see 3 months wage slips and bank statements before I even reference the proposed tenant. This in itself shows a great deal. I have declined 1 when clearly they were OD but passed referencing ( I followed through to the referencing point as they had a good salary and job) but believe me the amount of loans and being OD there was no way she could afford rent or manage their money well. So not the type of tenant I wanted. Also you can ask to see the last 12 months rent coming out of their account, that may help.
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spot on Julie1 . This is why it is so hard for good UC renters to get a place when there are bad UC renters… Years ago the rent was paid direct to the landlord. the the Gov decided to pay direct to the tenant to “teach them how to handle their money” At that point I decided I would NEVER take on such renters . I have been proved right in a lot of instances .The risk is too great. The local councils will LIE to get someone off their homeless list.
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