Company Issues Apology After ‘No DSS’ Advert

Housing association Great Places has been forced to issue a public apology after its letting agent arm posted ‘no DSS’ advert. High street agency Equity Housing, which advertises properties for sale and rent on behalf of Great Places, other registered providers and private landlords, posted an advert for a private rented property that stated individuals on benefits would not be accepted as tenants. The listing, which was posted on behalf of a private landlord, included a description of the Stockport-based property followed by the phrase “full-time applicants only and no DSS considered”. Read more on the Property Industry Eye website.

https://propertyindustryeye.com/company-issues-apology-after-letting-agent-posts-no-dss-advert/

Private Rented Housing: Social Security Benefits – Parliamentary Written Answer

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent landlords from refusing to accept tenants in receipt of benefit payments.

Christopher Pincher: We are clear that ‘No DSS’ -- or any blanket ban on tenants on the basis that they are in receipt of benefits -- has no place in a modern housing market. We have no plans at present to introduce legislation on this issue but are committed to bringing forward a Renters Reform Bill in due course, to deliver a better deal for renters and a fairer and more effective rental market.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2020-07-20/76586 

‘No DSS’ Discrimination Ruled Unlawful In Landmark Case

The practice of refusing to rent homes to those in receipt of housing benefit has been ruled unlawful in the first ‘No DSS’ discrimination case to be heard by a UK court. In a case that was heard at the York County Court, a 44-year-old disabled single mother of two challenged a letting agent for rejecting her application for a privately rented property on the basis of her being in receipt of housing benefit. District Judge Victoria Elizabeth Mark found that the letting agent was in breach of the Equality Act for operating a policy of refusing to rent to individuals on benefits. The defendant ceased operating this policy in June 2019. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/no-dss-discrimination-ruled-unlawful-in-landmark-case--67157

Landlords Warn Of ‘Sharp Drop’ In Private Rental Supply

Landlords are warning of a crisis in the private rental market, as new figures show a sharp drop in supply over the last year. According to the latest Residential Market Survey by the Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors, last month saw a net balance of minus 29% of surveyors reporting a fall in landlord instructions – twice the negative rating in November 2018. With tenant demand continuing to increase, RICS predicts that this will lead to rent increases of around 2% over the next year and around 3% a year over the next five years. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/landlords-warn-of-sharp-drop-in-private-rental-supply/

Private Rented Housing – Parliamentary Written Answer

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the proportion of private landlords who refuse to rent accommodation to people who receive social security payments.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: According to the English Private Landlord Survey 2018: 52 per cent of landlords and 37 per cent of agents reported that they would be unwilling to let to tenants in receipt of Housing Benefit. 47 per cent of landlords and 33 per cent of agents reported that they would be unwilling to let to anyone on Universal Credit.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-07-08/274566

Major Bank To End ‘No DSS’ Private Landlord Mortgages

A major buy-to-let mortgage provider has said it will end rules meaning it does not lend to private landlords renting to people on benefits. Metro Bank made the announcement following a roundtable meeting with housing and homelessness minister Heather Wheeler in Downing Street. The government said the move could help thousands of families relying on benefits to access private rented housing. Property websites Rightmove and Zoopla have also agreed to ban ‘no DSS’ adverts from letting agent listings. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/major-bank-to-end-no-dss-private-landlord-mortgages-61874?utm_source=Ocean%20Media%20Group&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=10631918_IH-DAILY-12-6-2019-GR&dm_i=1HH2,6BVN2,8CKJV9,P0FHN,1

MPs Hear Evidence On 'No DSS' Adverts

The Work and Pensions Select Committee heard from three panels of witnesses on the subject of the ‘No DSS’ adverts in the private rented sector. The Committee, made up of cross-party MPs, questioned industry experts, consumers and representatives of mortgage providers. In a response to media reports in late 2018 that mortgage lenders were restricting buy-to-let landlords from letting their properties to tenants in receipt of benefit, the Committee began the inquiry into No DSS: discrimination against benefit claimants in the housing sector in March 2019. Read more on the ARLA website.

https://www.arla.co.uk/news/may-2019/mps-hear-evidence-on-no-dss-adverts/

MPs Call On Landlords To Scrap 'No DSS' Clauses In Rental Ads

MPs have demanded landlords and letting agents end the practice of screening out people on benefits after hearing claims that “no DSS” clauses have become the 2019 equivalent of “no blacks, no Irish, no dogs” notices. During a hearing into the widespread refusal of landlords to rent properties to those on benefits, the Commons work and pensions select committee confronted the director of Your Move, a national online lettings agency, with an advert it published in March for a home in Telford, Shropshire, that read: “No DSS. Small dogs considered.” They also drew admissions from leading lettings agencies Hunters and Your Rent that they still run “no DSS” adverts, despite rising opposition to the practice. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/apr/24/mps-urge-landlords-scrap-no-dss-clauses-rental-ads

Rightmove Asks For ‘Conversation’ With Housing Minister Over ‘No DSS’ Listings

Rightmove has asked for a “conversation” with the Ministry of Housing about ‘No DSS’ lettings listings. The portal is concerned that while the ministry has called for an end to all ‘No DSS’ advertisements, the Competition and Markets Authority guidance is that all ‘material information’ should be communicated in listings. ‘Material information’ includes having to disclose any restrictions on the type of tenant, such as housing benefit claimants. Zoopla has said it will be banning ‘No DSS’ adverts, and amending its property software so that the option cannot be selected. Rightmove has now written to its letting agent members saying that they can still explain that there are restrictions on certain tenants, but asking them to review their listings. Read more on the  Property Industry Eye website.

https://www.propertyindustryeye.com/rightmove-asks-for-conversation-with-housing-minister-over-no-dss-listings/

Government Looks To Ban ‘No DSS’ Letting Adverts

Heather Wheeler, minister for housing and homelessness, has revealed that she would be pushing for “immediate change” to stop letting agents applying ‘No DSS’ rules when advertising for tenants. Out of 4.5 million people currently living in private rented accommodation, around 889,000 receive housing benefit to help pay their rent. However, research by the National Housing Federation and Shelter last August found that 10% of letting agents have a policy not to rent to anyone on housing benefit, regardless of whether they could afford it. The research, which surveyed 149 letting agents, also found that nearly half had no suitable homes or landlords willing to let to someone on housing benefit. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/government-looks-to-ban-no-dss-letting-adverts-60424?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Landlords Who Say 'No DSS' Breaking Equality Laws

The thousands of lettings agents and landlords around the country who reject housing benefit claimants could be flouting equality laws, due to a recent legal case. The widespread practice has led to "no-go zones" for those on lower incomes - especially in desirable residential areas. But a single mother won compensation for sex discrimination from a lettings agency that refused to consider her as a tenant because she was on state benefit. The woman successfully argued that blanket bans on benefit claimants indirectly discriminated against women, especially single women. This is because they are proportionately more likely to be claiming housing benefit than single men, according to official figures. Read more on the BBC website.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-42979242

No DSS: Most Flat Shares Refuse Benefit Claimants

Landlords are more likely to accept potential renters who own pets than people claiming benefits, a BBC investigation has found. Analysis of some 11,000 online listings for spare rooms found all but a few hundred stated benefit claimants were not welcome. Campaign groups say it is "naked discrimination" and are calling for a change in the law. Landlords say more social housing needs to be built. Read more on the BBC website.

Campaign Launched To Help Housing Benefit Tenants Get A Fairer Deal

A campaign has been launched by a renters' rights group for hopeful tenants claiming housing benefits to stop letting agents and landlords routinely rejecting them.  A protest was held in East London last month by Digs, supporters of Hackney tenants, to kick off their #YesDSS campaign. Between December 2015 and February 2016, the group carried out a mystery shopper survey of 50 estate agents in Hackney to find out how many letting agents would accept tenants claiming housing benefit. It found there was just one studio flat available to tenants in Hackney receiving any kind of state support. According to Digs, agents generally blamed landlords for not being keen on DSS (the now defunct Department of Social Security) tenants. Landlord concerns included benefit claimants not paying the rent on time or housing benefit money taking too long to come through. Read more on the BT website.

Social Landlord Regrets Stating 'No DSS' On Adverts

A large London housing association has admitted using “clumsy” language after stating “no DSS” in an advertisement for a flat. The Hyde Group attracted criticism on social media after an advert for a two-bedroom, second-floor apartment said “no DSS”. The east London property, which was advertised by Hyde New Homes, was built as key worker housing in 2009 and is let at 80% market rent. The advert was described as “vile and discriminatory” on Twitter. David Gannicott, director of business development at Hyde, said: “To be perfectly honest, it should have been better thought through. The wording is a bit clumsy. What we should have said was [applicants] have to be working households.” Read more on Inside Housing.