DSS Tenant Not Happy With My Advert :(

JK Rowling eh - blimey she scrubs up well for telly. I have seen the original Harry Potter books written in her own hand in green crayon before she got the laptop on benefit!

Jools

PS only joking Dr Nogood! I have seen her on telly though but without the Burberry cap, large hoop ear-rings, the 16 year old Ford Scorpio and big fuck off dog.

"1) lol @ the grammar, caps-lock being caught, and ignorance of punctuation (would I be a ignorant shit if I said, “typical DSS”? Ok, fine, I won’t say it then) "

"a" ignorant shit?? Maybe you did that on purpose, but I doubt it.

The system has recently changed and housing benefit is now paid direct to tenats. I've lost about 4 months rent on 3 properties as a result. I'm based in stoke on trent and i've told the council i wont take another dss tenat. It's their own fault. Most will pay but unfortunately the selfish minority spoil it for the reasonable majority.

Some one I know makes the DSS tenants sign a waiver essentially stating that they are far too stupid to manage their own finances and could they possibly pay the landlord directly pretty please!

Yes I know it's stereotyping and not ALL DSS are stupid - BUT is does seem to have worked for them.

Would suggest a more suitable content fo rthe letter though!

Jools

Advice on accepting DSS tenants:
1. Remember that DSS will always pay less housing benefit (HB) than the tenant expects or tells you he will get. The tenant will have to make up the difference from his own pocket. Check whether he can afford it (usually not).
2. Always get the tenant to tick the box that gives permission for landlord to enquire about the HB. Alternatively, get the tenant to sign the form. This way you can chase up any problems without relying on the tenant. Do not let a tenant move in without this permission granted!
3. The only way to get HB paid direct to landlord these days is for the tenant to get a doctors letter, saying that he can not manage his finances. Consider asking the tenant to make up a problem to tell his doctor.
4. I don't see why we should take DSS tenants without landlord direct, if we don't have to. The only way to get the government to change is to boycott DSS tenants completely.

Firstly, I'm responding as someone who is going to have to, and has had to pay rent from housing benefit claims. I have been researching this issue quite a bit, because of my present circumstances, and I studied it while I was at University. Unfortunately, e-mails, such as the one you received, do not do any justice to those of us who are responsible, reliable tenants, who do occassionally have to make HB claims. And I do agree with some of the issues landlords have concerning claimants. It is always the few that make it very difficult for the rest of us.

I think the idea behind the shift from direct payments to landlords, to the tenant, is the idea that the tenant becomes much more responsible for their own lives, rather than the state interfering too much. Although obviously it doesn't seem to be working like that. Secondly, the issues concerning landlords and the state is a very big political one, where landlords are not considered an important part of of the democratic system. What I mean is, landlords votes, are not seen as important votes in elections. This is well known in academic circles concerning housing. So the state makes their lives very difficult, and always puts the tenant before the property owner. This puts those of us who are responsible, in a difficult situation. But having said this, the state in the process is doing the same thing to the tenant as well.

I have had my own issues with landlords who have not been fair to me, but I have landlords who have been absolutely brilliant, and patient. So it's six of one and half dozen of the other.

My solution? Well I think the system has to change drastically. More social housing needs to be built. A dialogue opened up between tenant, the state, and the landlords, and some sort of incentive for landlords to consider claimants again. I think there is a serious political issue here as well, as I've said, and the state/government needs to acknowledge the idea of democracy for everyone, not just key voters. And private landlords, after all, do play a key role in the economy and in housing, so why aren't you given that acknowledgment.

As for me, I always make sure that it is me who is in charge of paying the rent (wherever that comes from). I get the rent paid to me and then straight on to the landlord. This means I don't have to disclose my occupation, and that I can find a home, without being stereotyped, or made to feel inferior when having to claim HB. And unfortunately, this is one of my problems with some landlords. Having HB paid directly to me and then to the landlord works well, and I have never defaulted on my rent. Ever.

So that's my pound of flesh. And it's merely an opinion that doesn't reflect my political leanings or any other bias. It's just how I observe the situation. And at least I can spell, and my grammar is reasonable :D

LHA being paid directly to tenants is no different from a tenants wages - you don't expect a working tenants employer to pay direct to your account, so why should a dss tenant? Also the council actually recomended to be NOT disclosing being on benefits to landlords if I could possible get away with it because no one will give someone like me a break. I have never been in debt to anyone, with the exception of student loans and am a responsible, clean, tidy person. People say things like 'it may be stereo typing but...' but it's always distasteful to laugh at the poor and I have noticed where some landlords do accept DSS, they are only too happy to hike up the cost of the rent to obtain the full LHA rate and happily take much needed money from the public purse - it's not just the unemployed who are sponging off the state then....

DSS and HB is fucking shit. i have had enough. the fuckers dont pay the rent when its payed driectly to them. they cant even get blacklisted for it. they have to do it like 5 different times before council consider banning them from borough list. all wankers, working cash in hand, benefit fraudsters. stupid government, cant wait till tories come in power, they dont give a shit about anyone i think, no more benefits for sure.

I am in receipt of Housing Benefit. I have not been in receipt of it for long, perhaps about 4 months now. Prior to this I have always paid my own rent. Due to having a baby, and my partner deciding to leave, I had no choice. I have never ever defaulted on paying my rent, even though the Council pay the money directly to me. In reference to: "sam wrote this on 2009-09-29 15:44:31
DSS and HB is fucking shit. i have had enough. the fuckers dont pay the rent when its payed driectly to them. they cant even get blacklisted for it. they have to do it like 5 different times before council consider banning them from borough list. all wankers, working cash in hand, benefit fraudsters. stupid government, cant wait till tories come in power, they dont give a shit about anyone i think, no more benefits for sure"
I think this is an assumption that has been made very a very very small minded individual. In certain circumstances, yes, people do take the proverbial when it comes to benefits, but that is a very small box to put a whole bunch of people in.
I do not consider myself as scummy or whatever it is that people on DSS get labelled as. I consider myself somebody who has paid tax since I was 18 years old, and now that I am in a bit of hot water, I am merely getting money back from the Government that I have paid. My neighbour is a Hairdresser, who is employed with Tony And Guy would you believe, and hasn't paid her rent in nearly 3 months now. I am on HB and have not missed a payment yet. Ironic much????

u make me sick u totally arrogant prick. who do u think u are ???? i lost my 11 yr old son and couldnt go to work for over 2 years so had to get housing benefit for the flat i rented for me and my other 2 sons. does that make me a thieving dirty messy scummy hb fraudster!!!!! people like u are truly sad and it shows in the way people treat each other in this day and age. why not interview all tenants im sure u can tell what someone is like in the flesh instead of tarring all hb claimants with the same brush and instead of shouting ur ugly mouth off about the poorer of society why not try to grow up. Its attitudes like yours that keep people predjudiced and while theres people like you around there will ALWAYS be someone judging someone else wether theyve met them or not. ur a sad selfish probably spoiled rotten little wanker with a bank balance bigger than ur brain. i honestly CANNOT stand people like you

Hey Coleen - wasn't I married to you once?

Thing is, you can dress a turd up in a Chanel suit and Jimmy Choos but at the end of the day - it's still a turd!

If you want fairness try communism - I hear it's all rosy in China.

TB

I've only picked this thread up from comments that have come through to my email so I'm not fully up to speed on the debate but. I get the gist to be that LHA tenants and on one side of the debate and landlords are on the other.

When I first heard of the stupidity of paying LHA direct to tenants I attended a number of meeting and wrote to my MP. I was told that the initiative to to help empower people. It's been my recent experience that temptation has been placed in the way of a number of people who are unable to resist it. Strangely enough Christmas and the week before secondary schools went back were both months I received no rent from LHA tenants that were paid directly. It also strikes me as odd that the legislation does not apply to ALMO's and Housing Associations. So it's fine for struggling private landlords not to get paid but completely unacceptable for local government quangos or their feather bed mates.

I manage a number of properties for people who are just normal common all garden working folk who thought that buying a rental property would be a good pension for them. How wrong some have been. What with banks repossessing like property is going out of fashion forcing prices down all over the country, lenders not lending and tenants not paying it's far from a good pension at the moment.

I have every sympathy with LHA tenants but I'm now in the unfortunate position, as are many agents, where all my landlords are saying absolutely no LHA's. That's not the tenants fault nor is it prejudice against the individuals it's people being sick and tires of a government that scorned private landlords as the scum of the earth but couldn't provide accommodation without them.

I'll finish with an anecdote. The worst paying tenant i had was regional sales manager for a major media company earning in excess of £30k pa and didn't pay for 8 months. The best tenant I've had is DSS has had her own money since before this stupid system was introduced and hasn't missed a day in 3 years.

Giggs

There is a guy living with us receiving DSS and he hasn't paid any bills for months!
The landlord says he can't do anything!! We just have to wait 2 more months for his contract to end and then pray for him to be evicted!
DSS should be paid directly to landlord at all times!

This is so annoying! Honest people have to pay for everything and these guys receive money for food, rent, etc.. and still don't pay! That's a joke, what a bunch of losers and the worst is: WE ARE THE ONES PAYING FOR THEM TO WATCH TV ALL DAY!!

YES all about housing allowance .... its rather terrible to see how senseless and greedy people get and one day all your property will be left behind and you will be judged by God of your honesty -do u realise how hard it is getting a flat or even a Deposit together..id hate to use rude language but its mad when i see so many of your types of people out there thinking money money but dont worry one day you will have to feel what it may be like.

get over yourself mate eh ?? you've said real nasty things about dss tenants and yes there are arseholes out there but because of them you've now tarred us all with the same brush take your dick/psycho/dumb fuck comment and point it straight back at yourselves and as for twattybollocks well wot can i say name def suits ya !!!

OOOOOOOOOOOOhhhh you bitch! Don't get your gusset in a twist.

How about a well structured and informed argument Coleen? I agree with the Landlord - you have no idea what you are on about!

Spent a lot of time picking a name so I appreciate your comment. Makes me feel all warm and cosy inside.

TB

'1) lol @ the grammar, constant caps-lock, and ignorance of punctuation (would I be a ignorant shit if I said, “typical DSS”? Ok, fine, I won’t say it then)'

Don't be so arrogant - get over yourself.

'I’ve dealt with my fare share of them.' - lol @ the spelling.

'fare' should be 'fair'

I'm aware, hence why I said I used the incorrect word. "fare" in itself is not a spelling error :)

Wtf!? DSS tenants have e-mail!? DSS tenants have computers!?

i am pissed off because i was an unexperienced landlord and burnt my fingers with a rogue dss tenant.
never take reference from the current landlord because its bullshit,
make sure they give you full authority with the HB/LHA
beware the housing benefit team treat landlords like shit and side up with the tenants.
Ensure they have the utilitiy bills in correct names
and don't wait in serving section 21 notice as soon as they delay rent.I fu**ing hate DSS shitty scum bas***s because they fu**in done me over...MAkes my blood boil, thanks to the Government for the flexible rules and for giving these scums too much authority, pissed offffff

Whats bad about the LHA and HB is that since 2006 it cannot be paid too family members.
So if you live in a relatives property and they cant live with out your financial contribution to the house hold then your probably going to be out and looking for a rental property.

It creates this idiotic situation where non payers on LHA or HB are someone else's problem...

Rubbish situation.

Roll on 2021 when the recession/depression will be over.

I am currently a landlord who previously had students and professional tenants. Unfortunately, since the last 2 tenants left a few weeks ago and me being made redundant, I now find it more cost effective to rent the flat to a DSS tenant. I initially considered staying at the flat and taking in 2 DSS tenants, but am worried that they may not be proactive about jobseeking, and just sit around usung the utilities, broadband TV etc to entertain theirselves, at my expense as their rent includes utilities. So I am grateful for all your comments on taking in the tenant, although there is an agency involved who want 5% but will ensure that the rents are paid, and look after the flat and all the issues with the tenant, so it sounds like a fair enough deal to me. I will also call up the social directly and see if I can get one from them and save the 5% too. I am a bit concerned, due to the prejudice that some people have about DSS, that I may have a problem finding a decent room in a nice house. I am very house proud, and am always cleaning etc, pay all my bills on time etc, so it would be nice to change some of the stereotypes as I venture out to seek a property. I just hope there are decent ones out there, and also decent flatmates too.

I work (have a small beauty business, which hasn't been as straight forward as I would have liked)
The same goes for my partner (builder, with his own construction business) who has gotten himself into money struggles, so we get housing benefit.
It makes it very hard for people to believe that we aren't scummy people, but we have always done all the first fix problems on the house when they have needed doing.
We've paid our rent when housing benefit have suspended payments, even paid a month more in advance.
We are the type of people who don't mind giving money etc to landlords so they feel secure.
I've figured that you can get your rent paid direct to landlord if you have any disability/ money issues, which is what I did.
Most people on benefits have a bad credit history, so they COULD get it paid direct. Also worth saving a little to give to the landlord.
I think I will aim to get two months in advance- through past relations with HB they sometimes take up to two months. That way aarrears are far less likely,
Even in the case that they do not have the money to pay their rent top up one month.
I just guess there's a way for us HB claimants that we can make the system workable so landlords don't miss out for having us.

I have a DSS tenant who is now in arrears and from this experience i will never never let my property be taken by a DSS....and yes it is the govt fault ...my tenant never take the bus nor walk she hires a taxi all the time shes busy shopping all the time and yet on benefits ...me the landlord has to suffer.....i bet she doesn't give a damn. Grrrrrr!!!!

According to the government websites, the HB can go direct to the landlord after 8week rent arrears! Yet when I asked stoke on trent council! They said no! Wtf?
Anyone know what I can do?
This is the first time I have had a dss tennant. Big mistake!
My advice to all landlords! Do not take on dss.

Lol @ J.K.Rowling..
Why has he been on HB for over four years? Sounds like he is on it by choice as "HB is more secure than someone who is working as they may lose there job or become ill"!!!!!!!

Grrrrr

If so many council properties had not been sold off during the Thatcher days then there might be a few more homes for the DSS claimants to live in. That being said the council would then know the difficulties that both sides endure and so may very well be more sympothetic to the private landlords.
I am almost sure direct payment would not be given to a council tennant on HB !!
I am lucky i own two properties, one we have our elderly Aunt live there fro free as she cant get a coucil property to rent as there arnt any the local council say and she cant afford a private landlord as the rents are that high by the time she paid out her capped housing allowance and made up the rest out of her pension she would have little left to live on.
With our Aunt being related she is not allowed to claim housing benifit which is totaly bonkers and so we look after her best we can and at 83 with dementia setting in and again no warden operated bungalows available for her if it wernt for us where and what would she do ??

I read the comments on here with interest as I claim LHA, or at least some as I do not qualify for the full amount because of the level of my pension, if you disregard both the tenants and landlords who resort to foul language (I suppose they think it makes the argument sound more forceful it actually makes them sound more ignorant), there are some good arguments both ways but to ban all LHA because of one or two bad experiences seems a bit extreme would you ban all working tenants because of one or two bad experiences (and there are as many bad working tenants as LHA ones), LHA can be paid direct to the landlord the tenant simply needs to ask the council to do it. I feel that letting agents are quite often to blame for bad relationships, they seem to regard all tenants as lower than pond life and all landlords as magnanimous philanthropists providing luxury housing for the needy poor at vastly deflated rents (They do work for the landlord after all) it just is not so, there are good and bad on both sides.

By the way I pay my rent annually n advance and save my LHA and my contribution for next years rent which in good years used to earn me a nice little bit of interest, I also do all the small maintenance jobs that the landlord would have to pay for like minor plumbing, decorating etc unfortunately not gas and electric as I am no longer licensed and he pays me some but it saves him a lot in the long rung and he is happy with the quality of the work, I mention this only to show that you can have a good landlord/tenant relationship even if the tenant is on LHA but you both need to work at it.

I'm disappointed to see some of the comments here bashing all HB recipients. I understand that whilst a fair few can cause problems there are those like myself who receive housing benefit and pay on time every time and keep the house in very good condition.

I began claiming HB just after I graduated from my biomedical science degree because of a relationship ending (domestic violence) and being unemployed with both a 1 year old and a 5 month old baby. I searched high and low for a home for me and my children to move into and being on benefits meant that the only people willing to consider me were those who owned dirty hovels in run down crime ridden areas.

I refused to accept that my situation should force me into raising my children surrounded by filth and poverty and so I simply found a listing for a house I wanted (which stated no DSS) and went ahead and contacted them anyway, explaining my situation, my plans to return to work once my children were a little older, inviting them to do an interview of sorts and I provided them with a homeowner guarantor (my step father). They agreed straightaway and I've now been living happily for almost a year in a beautiful spotlessly clean home with my baby girls and my rent is always paid without fail on the day before it is due.

I plan to move again eventually as though this house is lovely there is no garden space to speak of and I really would like that for my girls. It worries me no end that I will again be subjected to instant exclusion by the majority of landlords and that I may not be so lucky in persuading them otherwise a second time. I am a model tenant and I dont believe myself or my daughters should be penalised because of circumstance that for us was unavoidable.

Landlords are missing out on good tenants by automatically excluding DSS. All it takes is speaking to prospective tenants and getting to know them a little before making your decision rather than just ticking boxes and throwing keys at whoever has the most money. Surely its good practice to be doing that sort thing anyway.

I do realise that there are a certain group of LHA claimants who keep the money to themselves. I am not one of these people. I have always paid my rent on time, I prefer it going to me so I can top up the rent and send it off from my own account. It means I can prove that I have paid the landlord if anything goes wrong. All money from the council goes to my Landlord. And if my LHA has been cut, we have always made sure that we pay the rent before anything else.

My current Landlord doesn't mind, and I wish I could rent from him forever. However, due to carer responsibilities, I have to move to London. This is causing impossible due to a stigma against all benefit claimants. I have been proved a reliable tenant by 2 separate Landlords, but this counts for nothing, for as soon as I mention 'DSS', I am told that my 'type' of tenant is not welcome.

I will be a student in September, I based my Uni choice around my carer responsibilities. My partner is looking for full-time work in London, but considering the job market is very competitive, we have accepted that we will need LHA to top up our rent as my £10k student loans won't cover rent, food and travel anywhere near London.

We are not irresponsible, rude or illiterate 'DSS' tenants. We are actually very polite, and if we were given half a chance, we would make great long-term tenants. Yet we are never given the chance, and offered squalid properties with over-inflated prices.

Well let me give you another scenario/situation. I am receiving guaranteed pension credit plus housing benefit so I am not in exactly in the same position as' DSS' tenants. Actually there is no such thing as DSS. That was Department of Social Security which has been defunct for about 30 years. It became the Department for Work and Pensions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Social_Security_(United_Kingdom)

Anyway back to my personal situation. I came to London in 1995 to take care of my terminally ill father. I moved into what was then a bedsit as I thought I would be going back to Germany where my home and business had been. As often happens in life that was lost during my time away. My father was ill for two years before he passed away and I did not actually care about anything else during the time caring for him. I ended up continuing to live in the same house for 23 years. I was a perfect tenant never missing a rent payment, re-decorating and maintaining the property so that it became a nice home.

I was happy living here until three years ago when I received a notice from a 'new owner' who would henceforth be the landlord. Shortly after that a notice to quit was received. I went ahead and did whatever one could do getting boxes and starting to pack stuff away etc However nothing more was heard from the new landlord and I could only assume that they had changed their minds for some reason. I needed to know who they were so that I could get in touch personally to find out why nothing more had been heard about the 'notice to quit' (I needed to know because the council had informed me that as they had not heard any more from me my registration would be made dormant) It turned out to be impossible to find the owners because the 'new owners' were a private company in Jersey, meaning there was no information available about the owners.

About a year and a half later a letter was received introducing a new 'new owner' They introduced themselves and said 'nothing will change about your tenancy, please continue paying rent as usual through the estate agent. My thoughts? The first new owner must have sold the property on to somebody who did not mind buying it with sitting tenants. That was a relief! Until five days later when another letter was received with a renewed notice to quit from the new 'new owner' This time they used the s21 accelerated possession order to which I had to fill out a defence form which had been received with the s21. One of the questions on the landlords form confused me. They were asked if the owner of the property had been the same throughout the long 23 year tenancy. They had answered no to this. However having checked around at company house etc I had discovered that it was always thy same owner whose name had been on my first tenancy agreement.

Whatever people can do with moving properties back and forth for tax efficiency etc seems to be acceptable practice. And lying about it also seems to be acceptable practice however it may be fiddled around as having 'chjanged hands' It went to a court hearing and the judge decided to grant possession as she had no choice with the s21. I was not contesting the right of the owners to regain possession of their property but was trying to be heard. It has been my home for 23 years so finding another place to live was not going to prove easy and I knew that. I hoped the court might decide to grant possession but with enough time allowed for me to find a place to live.

The situation now is that the possession order came into effect on September 24th. So far there has been no warrant of eviction received so they may be waiting until I find a place. I don't know them, and have only dealt with their estate agents. They have over a hundred properties as far as I know, and with good will could I imagine have offered me an alternative accommodation. They have not.

I am in very good health so have no priority on the housing register for a council property. I bid every week and there are sometimes 58 people ahead of me so I see no chance there. Hackney has 26000 people on the waiting list. So I am dependent on the open market to find somewhere to live. My payments are very secure and in fact probably the most secure rents landlords can receive. We older people are not dependent on jobs or careers failing and the like. However each time I enquire about a place I get the same response from agents. Sorry we can't help you. We only accept professional working people etc. So then I thought there are many 'guaranteed rent' agencies who in effect rent the properties directly from the landlords and guarantee rental income even if the properties are empty. These people surely would be pleased to have those rents coming in from guaranteed housing benefit. Some maintain on their websites that they work with local councils.

The landlords can have one to five year rental agreements with guaranteed full rent for that time. But once again today I contacted one of them and got the same line' We don't think we can help you but maybe if you had a guarantor there might be something we could do! Maybe! So I asked them what they need a guarantor for? The DWP IS the guarantor. Rents flow perfectly for years on end, there are no missed payments or anything which would cause a landlord any problems. After all the pensioners are the section of the population whose payments and rents are protected and fully guaranteed. I do not understand the mindset of the generation who open letting agencies. They are missing out on something which could boost their businesses enormously as the older population will be outnumbering them in the coming years. Who knows how the economy will pan out after Brexit and how many jobs will be lost. What happens to landlords when their tenants lose their jobs and can't pay rent?

If the banks where they have their buy to let mortgages won't allow them to rent to 'dss' tenants, where on earth is this country headed? This practice is under review right now by the government and a few banks have changed their policies and dropped the practice. I think it will be illegal soon. The problem is that people learn slowly and very often are acting on old or false information. It seems people don't think about things enough and go along with the status quo. The 'dss' question is a case in point, considering that particular department hasn't existed for thirty years.

There are no guarantees in life but Guaranteed pension credit is GUARANTEED so what is wrong with everybody? I would love to hear some feedback.

Maureen

Sorry I forgot to add this link to my previous post

https://www.moneywise.co.uk/news/2019-03-01%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C/half-landlords-wouldnt-let-tenants-housing-benefits-government-plans-crackdown

Maureen