Housing Benefits - Feel discriminated??

red_devil

if you are selling a house due to a split see if the agency does renting as well. If you sell a house through one you might be able to rent one as they already know you ifyswim?

intranicity

I know the feeling as a Tenant, My situations a bit different though as I have an income (War Pension) I've been lucky and found Landlords that despite saying no DSS, when the situations explained (And I have always paid the deposit) have taken me on.

Maybe it would be good if there was a register on tenants or something where reference could be stored as well as payment history, a bit like your credit report and then landlords would be better able to judge each case individually, can't say I blame them though for being wary, I would be in their situation!

Still, doesn't help the decent tenant though, but as said elsewhere, we all get tarred with the same brush, justifiable or not.....

catz1ct

I think if the public knew how much money has been lost to HB claimants fraudulently claiming or spending their HB money on other things other than rent there would be a riot. We get quite a few L/Ls coming through asking for HB to be paid to them directly because they haven't received any payments for weeks/months.

clb776

catz1ct wrote: »

I think if the public knew how much money has been lost to HB claimants fraudulently claiming or spending their HB money on other things other than rent there would be a riot. We get quite a few L/Ls coming through asking for HB to be paid to them directly because they haven't received any payments for weeks/months.

I wonder where L/Ls go when there isnt a LA to argue with, because I doubt it is just people who claim HB that get into arrears.

Byatt

I would be sleeping in a box under an embankment somewhere if I couldn't find a place to live in who took HB/DSS. I can't get social housing (I'm on a list but as someone "without need")...I lost my home in a divorce and hadn't worked because of looking after my autistic daughter so my only option was private renting. I have a small private pension.

I don't know what the answer is, but the reality is people can become homeless. As a private tenant I pay a high rent for basically appalling accommodation. I don't get all my rent paid, it's less than half. People end up in this situation through no fault of their own. We fall through the cracks. I will make sure I pay my rent even if it means I don't eat. The last house I left was immaculate, in fact better than it was when I moved in. The current place was filthy, and previously rented by people who were employed.

One thing I don't understand is how people manage to claim HB fraudulently (is that a word!), because I had to go through hoops to get mine! And I have someone visit from HB to check on me once a year. I had to submit every available proof there was. So how does it happen???

Jowo_2

Byatt wrote: »

..
One thing I don't understand is how people manage to claim HB fraudulently (is that a word!), because I had to go through hoops to get mine! And I have someone visit from HB to check on me once a year. I had to submit every available proof there was. So how does it happen???

For example, a single parent claims to live alone and the DWP fraud investigators detect that she has a live-in partner in employment, so she has concealed their presence and their income.

Or the person claims to have no income, but is found to be working in a job that they didn't declare.

or they have claimed to have no savings or capital but it is later uncovered that they have a lot of money in a bank account that they didn't declare or actually own a property somewhere else.

or they say that they aren't related to their landlord, and it is later detected that the property is owned by their husband, and they didn't declare this.

terryw

Or they don't even live there as they live with their partner elsewhere and rent the dwelling out!

alocin36

It is discrimination, and those who are sympathising with the position of the Landlords, how about people like me who come May 2011 is going to be completely homeless!? I've worked all my life, just the last year and a half have not been working due to ill-health. Now I'm starting to get better, the competition for jobs is fierce and I'm not having much luck though not through want of trying. I became unemployed whilst in this property and ended up having to beg my Landlord to let me stay on, he did and I had a gaurantor step up for me. He has now fallen on hard times and needs me out by May 23rd so he can sell the flat... and everywhere i turn doors slam in my face because I'm a 'DSS' tenant!! I'm scared stiff because I have never been in this position, and I have no idea what will happen to me! I don't know where to go next, I am terrified of living out of a cardboard box and cannot believe my life has come to this!!!! It is discrimination and it's not fair - what happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'!??

dmg24

alocin36 wrote: »

It is discrimination, and those who are sympathising with the position of the Landlords, how about people like me who come May 2011 is going to be completely homeless!? I've worked all my life, just the last year and a half have not been working due to ill-health. Now I'm starting to get better, the competition for jobs is fierce and I'm not having much luck though not through want of trying. I became unemployed whilst in this property and ended up having to beg my Landlord to let me stay on, he did and I had a gaurantor step up for me. He has now fallen on hard times and needs me out by May 23rd so he can sell the flat... and everywhere i turn doors slam in my face because I'm a 'DSS' tenant!! I'm scared stiff because I have never been in this position, and I have no idea what will happen to me! I don't know where to go next, I am terrified of living out of a cardboard box and cannot believe my life has come to this!!!! It is discrimination and it's not fair - what happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'!??

You have two months to find a property. I doubt very much that you will be completely homeless if you make efforts to find somewhere.

Jowo_2

alocin36 wrote: »

... It is discrimination and it's not fair - what happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'!??

It is not discrimination in terms of a criminal or civil offence to turn down tenants in receipt of benefits.

Tenants on benefits are a riskier group of tenants for landlords in terms of business risk - there's no point in 'innocence until proven guilty'. The whole point of mitigating risk is to not take the chance in the first place that something may go wrong. It can take a very long time to evict a 'guilty' tenant who does not pay their rent and that can have catastrophic consequences for the landlord.

But it's certainly unfair. In your particular situation you should contact Shelter and read the section on their website about homelessness to understand your rights and options. They have a helpline number. Good luck.