Property News · January 21, 2017

Housing benefit claimants increasingly shut out of private rental market


Campaigners say growing instances of ‘No DSS’ are problematicIt used to be “No blacks, no Irish, no dogs”, now it’s “No DSS, no pets, no children”. Check out the rental listings on websites such as Rightmove, or press your nose against the window of your local lettings agent, and you will often see “No DSS”. It means the landlord or agent won’t rent a property to someone on housing benefit or local housing allowance, though some younger readers might not even know what “DSS” stands for (it’s Department of Social Security, and was replaced by the Department for Work and Pensions 16 years ago).The racist signs once seen in the windows of houses with rooms to rent have long been consigned to history, but what about their 21st-century equivalent? How common is it, and does refusing to let a property to someone on housing benefit amount to unlawful discrimination? Campaigners say it’s problematic. In a blog, housing charity Shelter said: “Rising rents and shrinking wages mean that being in work is no longer a guarantee you won’t need help with housing costs. But if you do receive this help, it’s guaranteed that you will be openly discriminated against.” Continue reading…

Source : theguardian.com
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