Why is so difficult to find a landlord who accept DSS?

Hi.
I have been renting for 5 years privatly. Now I am separating and I have a 8 years old boy. The council is asking me to find a flat that accept DSS but when I look for one the majority says NO DSS and the ones accepting, when I ask they say NO.
I am a full time worker but I need help because of the rent is too high. But I will definetly pay.

I just don´t understand why landlords are so scare.

I am looking for a 2 bed flat around Tulse Hill, West Norwood for me and my son. Full time job and very good references. My landlord didn´t want me to go but I have to move out as I am separating.

Any ideas?

Thanks
Clara

Clara The answer is simple. They take ages to sort the paperwork… If the tenant lies to them they can take the money off the landlord if the landlord is paid direct… They pay in arrears…The biggest thing is that they no longer pay direct to the landlord in the first instance. … When this went out the window a few years ago I decided NEVER to take DSS. This is the only power I have to show the goverment what I think of their decision. Sadly this impacts on decent people like you. When the goverment gives us the rent in the first instance and right away. I will change my view. But they wont because they are idiots

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Nail on the head , dealing with DSS. , is a massive pain in the arse , As with most situations , The Lanlords always , end up being shafted ,
Ofcorse all Tenants are saints lol
Tenants can break rental agreements , at will, there,s never any repercussions,
If the Landlord , makes the siltest mistake , Oh boy , God help you ,
Renting property , has now become a mindfield ,
you have to be , imagration exspert , health & safty exspert & a Lawyer

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Thanks for your answer, Colin. So in another words, although I have been living for 5 years in a flat paying monthly with no problems, I have a full time job and good references and I will keep doing that but with the council help, only because I have a difficult personal situation, if a landlord says No DSS it will be impossible to convince him/her that I am a good tenant.

That is very sad and very worrying for me as i really need to move away from this flat.

Thanks again for your reply

Best

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Clara . What is just as bad is that a tenant who has paid rent regular for years, cannot get a mortgage in order to own their own home . Yet the mortgage can be the same amount as the rent., and they have proved to be a regular rent payer… When a landlord has had a problem e .g. with young men tenants and not just one , they ( me) decide not to rent ever to that age group. it sears you as a landlord… when the councils make it harder for the landlord to take people on benefit likewise it makes us think , why bother?

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i have been in tge same house for 15 years with the rent paid directly to the landlord landlord doesn’t want to know but I’m separated can you have

My landlord do not want me to go. As i have bern a great tenant need a 2 bed house in the South Wales area Merthyr Tydfil Brecon is anyone willing to take DSS for me and my son ready to move ASAP

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Hi i understand so much i tried getting a property via open rent landlord who wanted higher deposit and 6 months rent. Its illegal. Im new to benefits sadly due to illness but trying to find a landlord to trust is impossible. I understand landlords dont have it easy. But im a mum whose got no four walls.

Hi Paula, it’s now illegal to ask for a deposit over 5 weeks’ rent. Landlords can ask, however, for rent in advance.

Paulamanning25… The blame is on the goverment who in their “wisdom” decided to pay benefit in arrears DIRECT to the tenant and not the landlord. If the tenant makes a false declaration the council may claw the money back off the landlord Check out how much is owed to housing associations because of this. …Millions. Thy also take weeks to sort out benefit housing claim Tho they say they dont., benefit tenants therefore I will not take. Unless I have known them for a long time. this impacts on people like yourself and me .Blame the Goverment

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I would hope landlords would make a value judgment when meeting you. You sound like a genuine lady with some personal problems. I am not in your area, and not currently looking for tenants, but on the basis of your literacy and genuineness I would certainly meet with you and discuss the situation with a view to working out something beneficial to both landlord and tenant. In my own personal experience I can tell an awful lot about a person during correspondence prior to meeting them. I took tenants (and signed the contract) from Tenerife on this basis before even meeting them! They have worked out to be the best tenants in the entire world - and I’m not joking!

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I agree but landlords are getting greedy as well just say no dss whose gonna pay 6 grand upfront. Which people working dont always pay their rent and keep houses clean. Its a stigma n needs to end

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It was a landlord advertising via openrent lol have screenshots. So i understand us on dss but some do take advantage and this was yesterday.

Paula this is nota stigma I had a tenant who was on benefit but I had known her for 15 years and she is still a friend of mine.

Thank you for your kind words. I am still looking to move out as my ex won´t do it and I just can´t carry on paying for everything. While my landlord doesn´t want me to go he had to evicte us to get rid of him but still he´s not moving out until I move out with my son.
Nothing available for DSS tenants and of course because I am still paying the rent, the council won´t help me because we are not homeless.

Unfair??

Kind regards.

It is unfair you have been put in a sticky situation. Does your landlord not have another spare place?

You seem to be between a rock and a hard place. All I can do is wish you good luck and an ultimately happy outcome.

Clara,

Just to add to what everyone has mentioned is the fact that the Landlord Insurance and mortgage providers are also unhappy with landlords accepting DSS tenants.

Whatever happens between the tenant and DSS regarding late payments will not register with the Landlord’s liabilities to pay the mortgage on time and without fail.

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Arref Unhappy with dss has been a problem for years . because it is risky. We recognise this as landlords. but many other organisations dont, as they only think of the tenant. Housing associations know its problematic as well. But the Goverment of the day get entrenched in satisfying the loudest voices., loud does not mean right (donald trump)…

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Having been “once bitten” by a DSS only tenant I will no longer accept tenants who rely solely on HB due to unemployment - I will however take a tenant who gets housing benefit to “top up” their rental payments made from employment and I would accept someone who was not working due to disability if my property were suitable for them.

As you are dealing direct with landlords when you rent through OpenRent you have the opportunity to “state your case” and they can decide on an individual basis - it will help if you can offer to pay rent upfront rather than in arrears and if you can offer a guarantor.

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