Since becoming ill 2 years ago and not being able to work because of this i have noticed, as i'm sure a lot of people have, that nearly every advert for a house to let states very clearly "no dss"

I'm intriuged as to why this is.

Is it because Liberata take so long to sort out a claim?
or
Is it because a few "bad apples" have spoiled it for us decent folk?

I think probably a combination of both of the above. Not fair on the majority, but I guess if you were a landlord you would want to protect your own interests. Years ago, after graduating, I was claiming housing benefit for a while. It took about 4 months for the first payment to come through - luckly the landlady was my mate's very understanding mum!

Would be interesting to know if there is any evidence to back up DSS tenants being 'worse' than non-DSS though.

It is basically those two reasons mate. At least from my experience anyway.

When I was on rock and roll back in 1999 it took about 5 months for H/B to come through. It seems like nothing has changed.

Fact is most landlords aint prepared to wait that long for their money.

i just found this passage on a landlord law website

"It's my property so I'll let it to whom I want!

This might be the understandable sentiment of many a landlord but with modern laws the landlord must not discriminate on certain specified grounds:

* Race and ethnic background
* Religion
* Sex
* Disability

Landlords and letting agents should familiarise themselves with the legislation in this area and should also be aware of the requirements of the Human Rights Act

However, the modern landlord is able to discriminate on those critical factors which qualify or disqualify tenants, for example:

* Financial - the ability to pay rent as determined by credit checks and references
* Character and past behaviour as determined by references etc.

So long as you don't discriminate on the specified grounds you can let to whoever you like. If you don't want smokers, tenants with children, tenants with pets, etc, you don't have to take them.

It is important to bear in mind that landlords should be consistent in the way they apply their tenant selection criteria. For example, it would be discriminatory to put some tenants through credit check procedures and not do this for others.

In the event of legal proceeding taken against a landlord for discrimination it is vital that documentary evidence is available to verify the selection procedure and the criteria applied. "

don't know if this will help in my search for a home but i can at least try

lol.
I agree that they shouldn't discriminate on these grounds, but how do you think it could be a) detected, b) dealt with.
It's highly unlikely that they'll tell me I can't have a room as they only rent to women, and even if they did or I suspected that then i'm not likely to be taking them to court am I.

They can also 'discriminate' if that's what you want to call it on the basis of an interview. Ie they meet you and don't like you, tough you're not going to get the house.

I've no idea because there is no DSS anymore!!

We have a house we rent out, we don't want DSS basically for 2 reasons.

1, It takes to long for the HB to come through.

2, Generally the HB isn't enough to cover all the rent so it leaves the tennant responsible for paying a portion themselves, quite often they cannot actually afford the extra on top of bills and other living expenses, so something has to be missed. They need food,gas and electric, so in our experience it is usually the rent that isn't paid.

Very often they start off fully intending to pay but simply cannot afford it.

Several years ago I was renting in Rotherham and lost my job, I claimed HB and job seekers allowance, my weekly rent was £55.00 pw the Hb was only £30.00 pw leaving me to pay £25.00 out of my dole which was £52.00. With the best will in the world I could not support myself and pay all the bills on £27.00 that was left so I had to move out.

Originally posted by valentine
2, Generally the HB isn't enough to cover all the rent so it leaves the tennant responsible for paying a portion themselves,

I think a lot of people assume that housing benefit does coever you're entire rent but thats only under certain circumstances.

Also if the money is paid directly to the landlord, then they can ask for it back! If they decide they overpaid, or if it turns out the tenant was not entitled to the money then the DSS or what ever you want to call them can ask for the money back, even if the tenant no longer lives in the house! The system is a farse, if you get and keep receipts for everything you do that involves them then you can almost guarantee they will loose something important, or claim to have never had it. Then they will claim they cannot back date the rent that far..

The landlord law thing has made me think

Surely its right that as the property owner, you can rent to who you like. I'm a bit perturbed by this "discrimination" angle.

Originally posted by Saifa
The landlord law thing has made me think

Surely its right that as the property owner, you can rent to who you like. I'm a bit perturbed by this "discrimination" angle.

you are running a business, businesses have to operate under non-discrimination laws. Seems reasonable to me. Would you think it fair if the local corner shop refused to serve you because you were white or black or male or female?

There are lots of very good reasons above, but there is one other which must be considered.

People who are long term unemployed tend to spend much longer in the house, and so the fixtures and fittings tend to get worn out much faster. And because they find it much harder to make ends meet, things often get left when they need attending to.

The filthiest people renting I ever had the misfortune to meet however were not unemployed, they were female nurses and they were living in conditions unfit for animals. It appeared that they had never cleaned anything, and the house had to be stipped, replastered, re carpeted, all fixtures and fittings replaced to make it habitable after they left.

Originally posted by neeeeeeeeeek
The system is a farse, if you get and keep receipts for everything you do that involves them then you can almost guarantee they will loose something important, or claim to have never had it. .

when i first claimed they lost 3 of my forms i now make sure i have a receipt for everything handed in to them.

while the claim was being processed my cat was shot in the throat and they wouldn't fax a letter to the pdsa to say i was getting H/B as the claim hadn't been dealt with yet.

result £330 vets bill

from what i can gather Liberata purposefully delay claims as they already have the money from the goverment in a bank account gaining interest while we struggle

from what i can gather Liberata purposefully delay claims as they already have the money from the goverment in a bank account gaining interest while we struggle

And also so they can refuse to backdate the claim as often people cannot them prove they handed in the forms.

My old landlord has had them demanding money back 11 months after the other tennants had moved out..

Their rent valuations are also normally way off, they seem to think that the maximum rent should still be 35 - 40quid a week, Not very realistic.

I think it might have something to do with the forthcoming changes in the way Housing Benefit is paid. Traditionally, it was paid to the claimant who was then entrusted with the responsibility of making sure rent was paid with the housing benefit. Unfortunately, not all those who receive housing benefit are as responsible as your good self Gordie OS1 and don't use the benefit to pay their rent (instead they spend it on all sorts of frivolities). As a result some councils changed the rules and paid the benefit directly to landlords to avoid this.

I have it on good authority from a couple of friends (who happen to be landlords) that the councils are considering a change to the policy (again). It seems that many councils (no guessing which Political parties!) feel that this 'hand-holding' policy is perhaps a bit too 'paternal' and want to change their policy to pay the Housing Benefit directly to claimants (again). In my opinion it's all wishy washy nonsense that, as illustrated by Gordie, causes more harm to those who use housing benefit and are responsible with it.

Though the practice of not accepting those who pay for rent using Housing Benefit may seem 'discriminatory' it's not really classed by law as a 'business' per se with 'discriminatory practice'. Though it forms a source of revenue for the landlord it is not a business practice as such. There may be case law that would support a challenge to the practice but at the end of the day renting a house to someone comes down solely to the landlord's discretion.

i think the paternal system is probably better for a lot of people (i know one or two who continually "rob peter to pay paul" only downside is those who do not want the lanldords to find out they are on benefits, again i have seen 2 people uprooted from their homes because of this discrimination (although the rent WAS being paid on time and in full)

the house i am in now is only temporary and i have managed to pay 3 months rent on my own by selling a lot of stuff on e-bay and H/B say the claim will be sorted soon

but i still have the problem of finding a home

Originally posted by neeeeeeeeeek
Their rent valuations are also normally way off, they seem to think that the maximum rent should still be 35 - 40quid a week, Not very realistic.

Exactly.
My rent is £37 a week, for a city centre property, which the Housing Benefit believe is unreasonably high by £1.

Not too bad as I only have to pay £1 a week for my rent, but still very pedantic

Liberata go on the say so of the rent service people who seem to be 10 years behind the times with regards to how much it costs to live in a house.

I have ordered a book from the library about tennants, landlords and the law appertaining to them both

Does anyone actually know how much the percentage of private rent is paid by the DSS?

Eg; if a tenant is renting a house for say £400 a month, what percentage would the DSS pay of that amount to the landlord?

Does the percentage rate change if there's children involved? Is there a different percentage rate say between someone who's claiming Jobseekers Allowance or someone who's claiming Income Support?

Originally posted by aNTAcid
Exactly.
My rent is £37 a week, for a city centre property, which the Housing Benefit believe is unreasonably high by £1.

Not too bad as I only have to pay £1 a week for my rent, but still very pedantic

I think I'm being taken for a ride by paying my own way. What do I have to do to get this DSS business?

Originally posted by caprice
I think I'm being taken for a ride by paying my own way. What do I have to do to get this DSS business?

there are far too many ways to list but some of them include

being unable to work due to illness or an accident, like maybe having a limb removed or being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy

losing your job due to the company you work for shifting all jobs to another country.

i trust from the level of sarcasm in your reply you are infact having a dig at the type of people that have never even bothered to work, which i admit are numerous, still it does not detract from the fact that i, and others like me, still can't get a house.

I'm not having a dig, I'm just shocked that someone pays only £1 a week rent thats all! Mind you, I should imagine thats a lot of money when there's no money coming in.

By no means am I laughing at these people, I bet living on benefits is a nightmare at the best of times. And I can sympathise with the fact that no-one will house you for being DSS, as both properties me and my BF have rented have been very specific about us not being DSS.
Won't the council house you for being on the DSS, or do you only get it if you have to hunt for private accommodation?

apologies for jumping down your throat :(

antacids reply was sarcastic (i know this for a fact)

but to get a council house in an area where you can walk the streets after 6pm without the fear of an attempted mugging you have to be on the list for 15 Years

as for living on benefits it is a nightmare (unless you are what someone most dilligently called "a serial mother")
and if you have ethics and morals it's even harder (eco friendly washing powder etc and fair trade stuff costs a bomb)

but i've stopped smoking now so thats another £3 a day i can spend on surviving :clap:

Originally posted by Gordie OS1
Liberata go on the say so of the rent service people who seem to be 10 years behind the times with regards to how much it costs to live in a house.

I have ordered a book from the library about tennants, landlords and the law appertaining to them both

If you find out any clear information could you please post some details for us?

I'm in a very similar situation myself and am very confused as to where I stand and what my rights are, if any, about renting a properties whether it be from a private or council landlord.

I desperately need to find accommodation for my son and myself but will in all probability have to claim benefits when I do get a property.

My brother rented his house out for 18 months to a single mum and her son - who were having the house paid for by the local council.

At the end of the term, my brother visited to check the state of the house and all the doors had been punched and kicked, the kitchen (his ex-wife's pride and joy) hadn't been cleaned and was covered with dust and grease, the cooker was not functioning (he hadn't even been told) and to make matters worse, the company who rented the house out on his behalf gave the woman back her bond!

Needless to say, my brother had a real problem with the way the whole matter was dealt with and demanded the bond back from the agency concerned - and got it.

Then again, there are the elect few who really treasure their possessions, who look after what they've got and add to it. I know a single mum who does the best she can with what she's got. She scrimps and saves and she's a real trooper. God bless her!

A factor not mentioned, and apologies to whom this doesnt apply, is that many private landlords dont like DSS/HB tenants/lodgers because they have to declare the income generated with many income-generated adverse effects. The substantial, well hidden "back pocket" culture is less openly discussed if it affects anyone other than people on benefits and also attracts less media/pollitical hype. I cant see how human rights enters in to it unless the landlord is a public sector organisation, such as a council.

I'm a bit shocked to see that the HB situation in Sheffield hasn't improved! Last time I had to do a claim was way back in 1992 and they were just as incompetent back then. My landlord had to wait 4 months for any rent - luckily he owned a lot of property so it wasn't too much of a bind for him - but I'm sure it would have taken even longer if he hadn't decided to go into the HB office and shout at them himself. It is frankly wrong and disgraceful that HB should take so long to process - it's not fair on tenants or landlords. :rolleyes:

Then there was the whole business that no matter what rent you were charged it would always be too much by about £1. Typical. Tch. Thank god I got work!

As to why some landlords don't take on 'DSS' (which should now be DWP?) tenants - some will no doubt own just one or two properties and that's a lot of cash to have to wait for!

There's no reason whatsoever why unemployed tenants would be bad tenants - I used to decorate and do general upkeep on the property and do the garden. My own landlord used to use his right to come and collect rent in person and that gave him the chance to make sure the place was in order - I'd recommend any landlord do the same!

There are still landlords who take on HB claimants - just try for one of the bigger landlords.

problem is housing benefit claims make no distinction between people who are:

a) too ill to work

b) looking for work

c) too lazy to work and therefore too idle to look after the landlord's nice new house!

therefore landlord just sees the word "dss" and gets scared.

perhaps housing claim forms should ask you to tick which one you are!

I think I'm being taken for a ride by paying my own way. What do I have to do to get this DSS business?

I suggest you pack up your course and apply for JSA if you're not entitled to any other benefits and then you'll have the added benefit of finding out what this crass benefits system is really like.

An important factor in the landlord's decision not to take in DSS and which I do not think has yet been mentioned here is that these landlords are then found in receipt of rental income which they many not necessarily be declaring as was the case with many landlords I have previously dealt with.

So effectively that makes it either tax evasion or avoidance which ever it is that is illegal - I always confuse these concepts

We have a lot of properties in the Sheffeld and Barnsley areas let to HB tenants, and find most of the people very pleasant to deal with. The properties do tend to get a lot more ware and tear, so we equip them to a basic standard with view to a basic refurbishment every tenant change over. A lot more than the council would ever do!

I think most landlords get put off because there is more hassle involved in chasing benefit claims, delays in payment, fear of rent being demanded back etc. Alot of mortgage lenders will also not lend to DSS.

We have a lot of properties in the Sheffeld and Barnsley areas let to HB tenants, and find most of the people very pleasant to deal with. The properties do tend to get a lot more ware and tear, so we equip them to a basic standard with view to a basic refurbishment every tenant change over. A lot more than the council would ever do!

I think most landlords get put off because there is more hassle involved in chasing benefit claims, delays in payment, fear of rent being demanded back etc. Alot of mortgage lenders will also not lend to DSS.
Do you have any vacant properties in Sheffield ?
May need to find somewhere else soon.

Might be to do with insurance too