No DSS

michael1234

Just read this article about it apparently being discriminatory for landlords to apply blanket bans to those on benefits.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53821317

I'm to be a (reluctant) landlord shortly and I don't understand this general policy. In particular, isn't someone who is on long term disability benefits actually less of a risk than someone who is currently employed? I'm pretty naive admittedly, but I think I'd imagine a (for example) wheelchair bound couple who had a good history from their previous tenancy to a "young professional" couple having parties every week. The former is also not at risk from losing their job.

KatrinaWaves

michael1234 said:

Just read this article about it apparently being discriminatory for landlords to apply blanket bans to those on benefits.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53821317

I'm to be a (reluctant) landlord shortly and I don't understand this general policy. In particular, isn't someone who is on long term disability benefits actually less of a risk than someone who is currently employed? I'm pretty naive admittedly, but I think I'd imagine a (for example) wheelchair bound couple who had a good history from their previous tenancy to a "young professional" couple having parties every week. The former is also not at risk from losing their job.

You are comparing swings and roundabouts and slides. Benefits could be stopped, jobs could be lost. A million diff things could happen. 

tom9980

Benefits can be stopped despite a claimant not improving because they are at the mercy of the reassessments which vary in quality. Multiple times I or members of my extended family have been denied benefits and then won appeals months later. In the meantime a landlord would go unpaid and have little hope of chasing their tenant for arrears once evicted if appeals were lost. 

onwards&upwards

If you are going to be a landlord reluctantly, please please don’t be one.

moneysavinghero

Bear in mind that would have a duty to make adjustments to the property to make it easier for a disabled person to live in.

D.L

It's common for a number of reasons (not commenting if they are right/wrong or fair/unfair):

• Some buy-to-let mortgages explicitly prohibit letting to people on benefits, although I believe this is changing
• People on benefits are dependent on receiving those benefits. This can change at very short notice.
• If a tenant cannot pay, the local council will always advise to stay until they are forced out by the courts. Otherwise, they will be deemed voluntarily homeless and not given priority for social housing.
• If a tenant doesn't pay, the debt accrues. A landlord can pursue this debt through the courts. This can go as far as garnishing wages. This often isn't possible for someone on benefits who is more likely to have insufficient savings and wages.
• If you have a choice between working tenants who can easily cover the rent vs. tenants who struggle to make ends meet, there is an obvious choice. This is no different really to mortgage lenders. They prefer to lend to people who can easily make the repayments.
• Perceived bad reputation of people on benefits

Comms69

moneysavinghero said:

Bear in mind that would have a duty to make adjustments to the property to make it easier for a disabled person to live in.

No a landlord is not required to make adjustment to a property. Please can you quote the regs?

moneysavinghero

Comms69 said:

moneysavinghero said:

Bear in mind that would have a duty to make adjustments to the property to make it easier for a disabled person to live in.

No a landlord is not required to make adjustment to a property. Please can you quote the regs?

http://www.thepropertylandlord.co.uk/disability-discrimination-act-property-lettings.html

Comms69

moneysavinghero said:

Comms69 said:

moneysavinghero said:

Bear in mind that would have a duty to make adjustments to the property to make it easier for a disabled person to live in.

No a landlord is not required to make adjustment to a property. Please can you quote the regs?

http://www.thepropertylandlord.co.uk/disability-discrimination-act-property-lettings.html

Although there are certain obligations on a landlord to make adaptations, the measures that you may need to take don’t include removing or altering what’s defined as a physical feature of the property. A physical feature could be:

• any feature that forms part of the way that the property is designed or constructed
• any feature that’s part of the approach to, exit from or access to the property
• any fixtures in or on the property.

So they dont. thanks for clarifying...

moneysavinghero

Comms69 said:

moneysavinghero said:

Comms69 said:

moneysavinghero said:

Bear in mind that would have a duty to make adjustments to the property to make it easier for a disabled person to live in.

No a landlord is not required to make adjustment to a property. Please can you quote the regs?

http://www.thepropertylandlord.co.uk/disability-discrimination-act-property-lettings.html

Although there are certain obligations on a landlord to make adaptations, the measures that you may need to take don’t include removing or altering what’s defined as a physical feature of the property. A physical feature could be:

• any feature that forms part of the way that the property is designed or constructed
• any feature that’s part of the approach to, exit from or access to the property
• any fixtures in or on the property.

So they dont. thanks for clarifying...

They do. You just said. You changed the word adjustment to adaption..

sweetsand

onwards&upwards said:

If you are going to be a landlord reluctantly, please please don’t be one.

Some times there is no option as the property someone has been left in a will may have sitting tenants in there with a contract of anything from a few months to a few years.
OP, if you are not sure, do you have letting agents they are very helpful, good ones that is