Discrimination in the rental sector
David Cox, Chief Executive, ARLA Propertymark comments on the story from Shelter and National Housing Federation about discrimination in the rental sector:
“This is a systemic problem with how housing benefit works. Rents are paid in advance, whereas housing benefit is paid in arrears, and therefore with such a shortage of rental accommodation, landlords and agents will naturally choose a tenant who can pay the rent when it is due, rather than a tenant who is always a month in arrears.
“We have called on Government time and time again to resolve this problem. But our calls have fallen on deaf ears. To make the situation worse, many lenders also have a clause in their buy-to-let mortgage agreements which prevent landlords from letting to housing benefit tenants. This situation does not exist because of landlords or letting agents, it is a systemic problem caused by Government and the banks.”
Click Here to view the campaign by the National Housing Federation and Shelter:
“People receiving benefits are often locked out of the private rented sector and openly discriminated against by private landlords and estate agent adverts, who specify ‘no DSS’ or ‘no housing benefit’.
We’re partnering with Shelter on a new campaign, making the case that private landlords and letting agents shouldn’t be allowed to do this.”
“Many housing associations were set up in the 1950s and 1960s to house people who could find nowhere else to live due to racism from private landlords and letting agents who told them no Irish, no blacks, no dogs. Fast-forward to 2018 and we still have outright bans, this time because people depend on Housing Benefit. We believe this is not right and must stop.
So together, with Shelter, we’re calling for landlords and letting agents to see sense and assess people on a case by case basis, not through policy bans, and for the Government to urgently invest in the building of new affordable housing.”
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What does a landlord look like?
Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 6
10:34 AM, 22nd August 2018, About 8 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Peter G at 22/08/2018 – 10:16
My tenant moved her working partner in without declaring it, married him without declaring it, put the celebration on FB and received overpayments of 11k before the DSS discovered it.
Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 1996 - Articles: 21
10:34 AM, 22nd August 2018, About 8 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Trevor Cooper at 22/08/2018 – 10:32
It’s also the only business where the business owner has to keep supplying services (under pain of imprisonment) for several months after the customer defaults and stops paying for the services.
Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 192 - Articles: 1
11:00 AM, 22nd August 2018, About 8 years ago
My rent guarantee insurance doesn’t cover me for HB tenants.
Also, in response to the comment about shopping around for a BTL lender who doesn’t place restrictions on HB tenants, it’s hard enough trying to jump through all the hoops as a portfolio landlord as it is!
All this talk of discrimination by landlords and letting agents when there appears to be a blatant campaign of discrimination against the PRS of late.
Member Since February 2016 - Comments: 977 - Articles: 1
11:15 AM, 22nd August 2018, About 8 years ago
Dear All,
Brilliant replies and ideas, I really enjoyed reading them. I would suggest you put them on the Shelter FB discussion page. Or I can do it if I have any spare time… Discrimination in the rental sector is indeed rife against LLs…
Member Since August 2018 - Comments: 91
11:31 AM, 22nd August 2018, About 8 years ago
Member Since August 2018 - Comments: 91
11:38 AM, 22nd August 2018, About 8 years ago
Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 6
12:01 PM, 22nd August 2018, About 8 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Liam Strid at 22/08/2018 – 11:31
No the tenant is not in prison, but happily renting from another unsuspecting landlord whom they managed to hoodwink.
Member Since July 2018 - Comments: 53
12:31 PM, 22nd August 2018, About 8 years ago
Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 192 - Articles: 1
12:44 PM, 22nd August 2018, About 8 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Will stillman at 22/08/2018 – 12:31
Certainly did ?
Member Since March 2018 - Comments: 182
1:21 PM, 22nd August 2018, About 8 years ago
Agenda behind Shelter’s “No DSS” campaign?
An interesting suggestion below that this is a major effort by the social rental sector to distract the media from looking at their record – which is worse – and instead focus on the private rental landlords.