During the weekend there’s been fireworks over on the other side of my blog. Whenever my blog gets an erratic surge of activity, it’s usually over a DWP / DSS Tenants related topic. It’s good to know that some things never change. Head over to the Reasons Why Landlords Shouldn’t Accept DSS Tenants blog post to catch up on the drama.

I didn’t participate in the discussion because the conversation seemed to be going around in circles, and more importantly, it was the bloody weekend. I religiously reserve the weekend to get my freak on!

Even though I didn’t partake in the discussion, I truly made the best of a bad situation. I was receiving an email each time someone contributed a new comment, consequently my phone was vibrating like crazy. Needless to say, I slipped my phone into my boxer-shorts and enjoyed the repercussions of my blog post in my own beautiful way.

I’ve only just got around to reading the comments. It consisted of the general bullshit I expect from people that are too ignorant to understand anything beyond their own reality. Nothing new there. But I want to address one specific statement made by a few people. I’m told, “Refusing DSS Tenants Is Discrimination”, and it’s similar to refusing “Blacks”, “Irish” and “Asians”

Amusing.

That particular Red Herring has been flapping around for a while, and I want to kill it. With a sledge hammer.

Anyone that carries that kind of mindset clearly doesn’t understand the dynamics of being a landlord or what being a landlord is all about. The irony is, anyone that believes refusing DSS tenants is a form of discrimination is a self-righteous ignorant bell-end. Yeah, I said it.

My list of reasons why refusing DSS tenants is NOT discrimination

• Being a landlord is NOT a charity based organisation, it’s a business based on profit. I think that’s what most people DSS tenants fail to appreciate. Our job is to secure suitable tenants to ensure our profits don’t fall. A major aspect of running a successful business is “risk-assessment” Some tenants have higher risk than others, and landlords just want to minimize their risk. For example, a bank is unlikely to authorise a loan to someone receiving benefits. Is that discrimination, or is it a decision based on risk-assessment?

  Yes, even the lower-risk tenants can cause problems. And yes, the higher-risk (DSS tenants) can be the best tenants in the world. But this is about risk-assessment, and the odds are stacked against the DSS tenants. This type of risk-assessment is practised by almost every business in some shape or form, but more relevantly, businesses that deal in loans and insurance.

  Landlords don’t refuse DSS tenants because they have something “personal” against the individual as a human being. They generally refuse DSS tenants based on their undeniable financial circumstance. No one is ASSUMING DSS tenants have financial difficulties.

  The fact is, ANYONE running a business (regardless of whether they’re receiving Housing Benefits or not) will try to minimize their risks, so it alludes me that people fail to understand that concept when it’s regarding Landlords and DSS tenants.

• The whole argument that refusing DSS tenants is on the same par as discriminating against a race is laughable; it’s almost not worth defending. But I will, because the statement is silly, and I’m in a silly mood (I suspect that comment will come back to haunt me if/when the protesters attack).

  The financial circumstance of a tenant has a direct impact of how they may affect MY business of being a landlord; someone’s race DOES NOT. So no, those analogies are nothing alike in the current context; so you can stick the “race card” up your anal-passage and choke on it.

  Find me a family with an employed Asian wife, and an employed black husband, with a mixed race baby, and I’ll happily give them tenancy. Find me a family with the same racial statuses that are unemployed, and I won’t be so willing.

• Most Landlord Insurance companies refuse to insure landlords with DSS tenants. The very few that do cover DSS tenants have a high premium. Why? Because at some point or another, statistics signified that a high portion of landlord claimants had DSS tenants. So the root of the problem is far deeper than landlords simply refusing refusing DSS tenants; it’s also based on the fact we can’t get the proper protection policies in place to secure our investments when giving tenancies to DSS tenants.
• Landlords want to keep their risk at a minimum (going back to risk-management), just like any business. That is why I would rather give tenancy to a family that consists of 2 employed individuals as opposed to a family that receives Housing Benefit. How is protecting my investment by obtaining the most “secure” tenants an act of discrimination? If you were a landlord that had the choice between a) a family that consisted of two doctors or b) a single unemployed individual receiving Housing benefits, which would you give tenancy to? It’s a no-brainer, as is this argument.
• Common misconception- all landlords are rich. That’s seriously bullshit. Most landlords struggle to make any profit, especially in this climate. All it takes is ONE tenant to fall into arrears for a landlord to go under. Then, the landlord would only add to the list of people in receivership of Housing Benefit. What good would that do anyone?

  Point being, some times the whole risk-management aspect is crucial to the landlord’s livelihood.

• I personally refuse DSS tenants because of my past experience with the “system”, and not the individuals themselves. The protection for landlords when DSS tenants fall into arrears is scandalous.

  I’ve housed a DSS tenant that intentionally fell into arrears so she could get moved up the “Council Housing” priority list. I’m not saying all DSS tenants would do that. However, The question needs to be asked, why would the council move someone up the priority list AFTER they fall into arrears? Who knows, but it’s actually common practise.

  Actions like that are awful for the landlord because they’re left out of pocket and equally as awful for the genuine DSS tenants struggling to find a tenancy. Why would I want to support a system like that?

  To reiterate, this isn’t a gripe I have with the claimants, it’s a gripe I have with the system. I have made that clear on several occasions.

I’ve said the following a million times on almost every single one of my DSS related blog posts, but only a handful seems to pay any attention, while the others get filled with rage and ignorance. But here it is again:

• I appreciate, understand and even sympathise with misfortune. I know not all DSS tenants are the same; I know there are good and bad DSS tenants; I’m aware that many DSS tenants genuinely don’t deserve to be in the position they’re in; I’m aware that there are genuinely good DSS tenants out there that are struggling because others have given them a bad reputation. I get it. It sucks, and I mean it. It’s truly a shitty deal. However, DSS tenants are still high-risk in-comparison to professional-working families, so that is why I would rather give tenancy to the latter. I’m not saying that the working-professionals won’t or can’t fall into arrears, but I am saying it is less likely, hence the risk-management.
• I’m not saying landlords should or shouldn’t accept DSS tenants, I’m just saying landlords have a legitimate reason for not accepting them, and DSS tenants should understand it’s not about discrimination.

The root of the problem is deeper than simply, “landlords refusing DSS tenants” – so much deeper. Getting ALL landlords to accept DSS tenants won’t resolve the underlying issues of a broken system.

By all means, be annoyed that some landlords refuse to house DSS tenants, but don’t call it discrimination, because it really isn’t.

Either way, I don’t really expect to have changed minds. I just wanted to make my justifications clear.

Related posts:

FACT: Landlords Refusing DSS Tenants Is Well Justified
The Difference Between DSS Tenants on Housing Benefit (HB) And DSS Tenants On Local Housing Allowance (LHA)
Landlords That Discriminate Against Tenants

I don’t know whether it irks me so much because I hear it EVERY GOD DAMN DAY, or because the statement in itself is pointless. Regardless, the statement is beyond irritating.

I’ve been trying to refrain from making a blog post about this issue for two reasons:

• 1) I learned a long time ago that people (DSS tenants in particular) find it difficult to comprehend what I say. For example, I’ve NEVER said I have a problem with people claiming benefits (I support the notion of helping thou neighbour), nor do I think ALL DSS Tenants are the same. All I’ve ever said is that the current system is setup in a way which doesn’t favour landlords, so that’s why I refuse to deal with DSS tenants. However, I still get the same old cries, “can’t believe you’re tarring us with the same brush” – my response to that is, “FUCK YOU, I’m not saying that, you complete and utter douche bag.“
• 2) Secondly, I’ve written enough articles about DSS tenants, both in a positive and negative light (the positive ones seem to get neglected *mumbles to self*) to last a life time.

However, it’s got to the point where I feel as though I’ve been backed into a corner. And you know what happens when you corner a dog, don’t you? It pisses itself, and then starts barking. Well, i’ve just had a piss (it looks as though I’m dehydrated, by the way. I’m going to drink 20 gallons of water I’ve published this), and here’s my bark…

I genuinely think it’s the most overused and pointless line used by a DSS tenant; I’ve heard it from people in person, via email, and most frequently, through comments on my blog. The sequence of words pierces through my skin and shatters my bones.

I can’t be the only one who has heard this infamous line from DSS tenants. Anyone who has communicated with a fair portion of DSS tenants must know what I’m talking about. If not, just read through some of the comments in the DSS Tenant section.

Why the statement is pointless…

• Firstly, making the claim you have worked hard your entire life is generally an unmeasurable statement. You may feel you have worked hard your entire life, but compared to who or what? It’s subjective.
• Secondly, “working hard” is not a rare novelty; but people say it like it is. Millions of people work hard on a daily basis. I’m probably not one of those people, mind you.
• The character reference of having “worked hard” has no reflection on how good or bad a tenant someone will make.
• In the perspective of a landlord, saying, “i’ve worked hard my entire life” is as useful as saying, “I will always pay you rent”- it’s pointless. It means nothing. More importantly, it’s not going to change my mind about whatever it is you’re trying to change my mind about. It’s as feeble as putting, “hard worker” on a C.V.

Why do DSS tenants even say it?

I most often hear the line used in the following context:

I have worked hard my entire life and it’s only by misfortune I’ve had to claim benefits, so it’s completely unfair that you’re tarring me with the same brush as all DSS tenants

A statement like that suggests they’re using the line to convince people they’re a good tenant. Consequently, they should be treated as any other prospective tenant; almost as if the notion of having “worked hard” should give them an extra layer of protection, most of all, credibility, and eradicate their “Housing Benefit” status. Wrong. So wrong.

I appreciate, understand and even sympathise with misfortune. I know not all DSS tenants are the same; I know there are good and bad DSS tenants; I’m aware that many DSS tenants genuinely don’t deserve to be in the position their in; I’m aware that there are genuinely good DSS tenants out there that are struggling because others have given them a bad reputation. I get it. It sucks, and I mean it. It’s truly a shitty deal.

Albeit, the fact still remains, it makes no difference to me if you’ve worked hard your entire life, or if you’ve sat on your fat arse all your life cashing benefit cheques and playing computer games with your chubby sausage fingers…. the system is still broken, and the lack of protection landlords receive is scandalous.

Credit where credit is due; if you’ve worked hard your entire life, then much respect to you. But honestly, that’s all you’re getting from me.

My suggestion to all DSS tenants out there is to remove, “I’ve worked hard my entire life” from the front-line of the arsenal, right the way to the back, until it’s just a little dot. Then move, “here are all my references from previous landlords” to the front-line.

Related posts:

The Worst Developers To Ever Appear On Property Ladder, And Possibly The Entire Planet
I Just Sold The Love Of My Life To Help Pay My Mortgage
My Tenant’s Disgusting Taste In Furniture Has Ruined My Life

The “Warm Front” government-funded scheme

“Warm Front” is a government-funded scheme which provides grants to make a home warmer, healthier and more energy-efficient.

What does the Warm Front Grant provide?

The grant provides energy-efficiency advice and a package of insulation and heating improvements tailored to each property up to the value of £3,500. Some homes that need oil central heating may receive a grant of up to £6,000.

The improvements include the following:

• Loft insulation
• Draughtproofing
• Cavity-wall insulation
• Hot-water-tank insulation
• Gas, electric or oil central heating
• Glass-fronted fire

Do I qualify?

Warm Front Grants are for people who own their home or rent it from a private landlord AND are on certain benefits. One of the benefits listed is “Housing Benefit”, which is why this is particularly useful for landlords with DSS tenants.

Tenants receiving any of the following benefits can also apply for the grant:

• Working Tax Credit – with an income of less than £16,040 and which must include a disability element
• Child Tax Credit – with an income of less than £16,040
• Attendance Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance
• Income Support – which must include a disability premium
• Housing Benefit – which must include a disability premium
• Council Tax Benefit – which must include a disability premium
• War Disablement Pension – which must include mobility supplement or Constant Attendance Allowance
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit – which must include Constant Attendance Allowance

How to apply for a grant

This is the important part. The landlord isn’t directly entitled to the grant, it’s the tenant who is entitled. So it’s in the best interest of both tenant and landlord to work together, so they can both benefit from this grant.

Improving efficiency of a property will benefit both tenant and landlord because it will help keep utility bills down for the tenant and increase the value of the property for the landlord, and make it more desirable. It’s a win/win situation for everyone involved.

If you think your tenant is entitled to receiving this grant, they can find out more information on the Warn Front Website.

There is limited funding

The Warm Front scheme is funded by Government and has a set budget for this year. The budget is reached pretty quickly as it’s highly in demand, so it’s not always available. But it’s always worth applying and also investigating when the budget is reset, so you know when to apply. There really is nothing to lose.

The scheme is legit, and open for abuse (kinda)

I actually found out about this scheme from a “random”, who had actually benefited from the scheme. However, she did it in a way which could be deemed as ethically grey by some people. You be the judge.

What she did was purchase a house which she intended to live in. However, before moving into the property, she rented it out for 12 months to a DSS tenant. While the tenant was in there, she asked the tenant to apply for the grant. The tenant received the grant, and consequently had a new heating system installed, because the previous boiler was old and inefficient.

In the mean time, the landlord was living with her parents.

I’m not entirely sure how easy it is to get away with practices like that, but it’s just an indication that the grant is very real and can be seen as an extremely good perk for landlords that have DSS tenants.

Has anyone heard of this scheme and/or taken advantage of it?

Just wondering if any landlord of tenant has heard of the scheme and/or applied for the grant? Let me know about your experience, innit!

Related posts:

Be An Energy Efficient Landlord
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) For Landlords
How Much Should Landlords Pay For An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)?

The other week, by coincidence, I happened to befriend a “Welfare rights officer”. Of all places, we met in a seedy local club located in Essex, where most people smelt of fake tan and looked like tangerines. It was a good night.

We’ve remained in contact ever since; we primarily spend most of our time exchanging nude pictures of ourselves, but we occasionally discuss her job. For her sins, a large portion of her professional role involves defending/handling legal cases involving DSS tenants that have fallen into arrears. It was only earlier today that she was “defending” a DSS tenant that hasn’t paid rent since last November. Yes, that’s November 2009.

Do people like that really deserve the right to a “defence”? Apparently so. Before someone tries to rip my throat out with their crusty mitts, let me clarify- when I say “people like that”, I’m referring to DSS Tenants that have fallen into arrears, not DSS tenants in general.

When I found out the specifics of her responsibilities, I immediately jumped onto the issue and laid my cards on the table, “Tenants get away with murder and have way too many rights, especially DSS tenants”

Surprisingly, she agreed and said that i’d be completely shocked and horrified by some of the cases she’s dealt with. Bearing in mind, this was coming from a lady that defends DSS Tenants for a profession! As I started to flood her with questions, she started revealing the details…

Please note, the following is all GENERAL information.

What can landlords do when DSS Tenants fall into arrears?

The obvious answer is taking legal action by going to a small claims court. However, assuming the tenant has been evicted and vacated the property, in most cases, it’s not worth going after the money. Generally, it’s a waste of time, and the rewards will probably make the landlord want to stab himself in the eye.

There’s little point trying to take legal action against DSS Tenants

It’s true, when a DSS tenant falls into arrears, there is very little a landlord can do to recoup the money in any reasonable time frame, unless they have a valid rental loss insurance policy.

The general message I’ve been told is that there’s no point in taking a DSS tenant to court after an eviction has taken place because they usually have no means to pay the owed money. If they have no money, where is the money going to come from?

The only slightly plausible reason to go through the legal avenue would be to try and enforce a CCJ later on, if the tenant’s circumstances happen to change i.e. if they return to work. However, that means keeping tabs on what your ex tenant is doing. Who is seriously going to do that?

Taking a DSS tenant to court costs money

For justice to prevail, the victim (the landlord) has to pay for the privilege. It seems so wrong, doesn’t it?

The cost is approximately £100 for a small claim, but also depends on the amount being claimed. What landlords must also remember is that after they have lodged the application and won their case, they would also then need to apply to the court to enforce the decision that the judge has made – this costs a further £35.00.

Remember, these costs may never be recovered by the landlord any time soon, if ever!

If the tenant is ordered to pay back the arrears, when will the landlord see the owed money?

When the tenant attends court (alone or with legal representatives), they will be asked to provide a full breakdown of their income and expenditure. The income will typically be extremely low (why else would they be on benefits?). The document is called a “financial statement”. This basically shows a Judge exactly what the defendant is able to offer as a repayment towards the debt owed.

A Judge will look at the document and determine whether there is any excessive expenditure, and then make a decision as to how much the client can reasonably afford to pay. “Reasonable” appears to be an extremely subjective meaning, because the Judge could easily, and often does, declare £10 per month to be “reasonable”

So, if the landlord is owed 2k in rent, and the ex tenant is ordered to pay £10 per month in order to clear the debt… Well, you do the math. I’m getting a nose bleed just thinking about it.

Essentially, if a tenant is receiving benefits, and all they can reasonably afford to pay is £1 per week, then the Judge will order them to make the payment of £1.

Generally, tenants are unaware that the Judge is able to force a reasonable amount for them to pay, so they try and make a “reasonable” offer, of say, £5-£10 per month.

As long as the ex-tenant is maintaining those payments every month, then the claimant (ex landlord) will not be able to enforce the court order.

Does the court ever force the tenant to pay more than they declared as being their “limit”?

If a financial statement shows that the tenant has more available income than what they offered, then yes, the court may increase the amount. Unfortunately, this works both ways. If the tenant is offering more than what they can realistically afford, based on their financial statement, the judge may reduce the payable amount.

What if the tenant fails to respond to the court hearing notice?

If the tenant/defendant fails to reply to the claim form (including a nil or no offer of repayment) the creditor can request the court to enter judgement in default and ask that the whole debt be paid in full. The Defendant is then given one month to pay the balance in full.

Once a judgement has been entered it is the responsibility of the claimant to collect the payment. If the client fails to pay in accordance with the judgement, the creditor can attempt to enforcement payment (at a further cost of £35.00) to the claimant through the court by:

• 1] a warrant of execution. This allows the County Court Bailiffs to attend the clients property to take and sell goods
• 2] a charging order (if they own a property elsewhere)>
• 3] an attachment of earnings, if and when they go to work

What must be remembered is that the claimant can recover all sums including arrears, costs of court applications, interest etc!

However, if the tenant doesn’t own any valuable items (which they probably won’t), and doesn’t get employment any time soon (in this climate, they probably won’t), then there’s little that can be done.

A lot of the times, even when a DSS tenant falls into arrears, they’re re-housed to a council house. True?

DSS is now and has been for a while called DWP (Department for Work and Pensions). If someone has failed to pay their rent and faces eviction, so long as they remain in the property and do not leave before being officially evicted, and the council do not consider that they have made themselves intentionally homeless, and they are classed as being “vulnerable”, the council have a duty to rehouse them.

So basically, “YES”

There is no moral victory

Ok, so it’s apparent that there’s a strong possibility that the landlord will never get his/her money back, at least not any time soon. The next natural step would be to grab for a “moral” victory, as in trying to get the tenants benefits revoked or crippled, right? Unfortunately, Housing Benefit is completely based on income, and not personal merit. So even after falling into arrears, and being evicted, the tenant will continue receiving their benefits.

Do you feel slightly sick yet?

Conclusion

The system is fucked up!

It wasn’t so bad when landlords were able to receive the tenants benefits directly. However, ever since tenants started receiving their housing benefit directly, the entire system has been ridiculous.

If a DSS tenant falls into 2k worth of arrears, and they can only afford to pay back £5 per month, that’s exactly how much they’ll be forced to pay. And the odds are, that’s how much they’ll be able to afford! So you have to decide, is it worth going through the courts to potentially receive £5 per month? £5 will just about be enough to fill my arteries with a Big Mac meal.

It’s annoying because these people are receiving “housing benefit”- so where is that money going, if not it’s not paying for the roof over their head?Of course, the salt in the wound is really felt when the tenant is entitled to be rehoused.

Bottom line, it doesn’t even seem worth while taking a DSS tenant to court if they fall into arrears because at the end of it the landlord will probably be left standing wondering how the hell the legal system has failed at such epic proportions, and nothing much else. Until the law reverts back to it’s former self, where landlords were able to receive the tenants benefits directly, it’s simply safer to accept employed tenants. That way, even if the tenant does fall into arrears, the court can force larger repayments. At least that way the payments can be recouped before the landlord is 6 feet under!

Anyways, that’s just my opinion, based on what my new friend the “Welfare rights officer” told me.

I have no problem with tenants in receivership of benefits, I purely have a problem with those that fall into excessive arrears without reason. But my major gripe is with the current law. I’m not saying I have a solution for the problem, I’m just saying what we have currently isn’t working.

Has anyone successfully claimed rent arrears from a DSS tenant?

Has anyone actually taken a DSS tenant to court for rent arrears? If so, what was the outcome?

I once had a DSS tenant fall 2 months in arrears. Fortunately, I had rental loss insurance, which paid out. After evicting my tenant, she was rehoused by the council!

Does anyone have any questions regarding this issue?

If anyone has any further questions regarding this issue, ask away. I will ask my friend for her professional opinion on the matter.

Nothing above should be perceived as legal advice

Just so we’re clear, i’m not a qualified legal bod. Any legal or financial crap I write about is based on my experience. Always seek the advice of a professional before acting on something that I might say :)

Related posts:

My Tenant Has Agreed To Get The Fuck Out Of My Property
I’m Evicting My Tenant
The Bitch (My Tenant) Received Her Eviction Notice- She’s Not Happy

Did anyone read the Daily Express newspaper on Saturday, 24th July, 2010? The front page was dedicated to rogue DSS tenants and how much they cost taxpayers. I’ll get onto the details shortly, but first let me swing my embarrassingly tiny penis around and have a bitch…

I’ve openly had several outbursts about how and why I refuse to accept DSS tenants, and in return, I’ve received abuse, and some more abuse from the self-proclaimed “genuine” DSS tenants that are being hard done by because of ignorant landlords like myself for making judgmental statements. I actually do sympathize with the genuine DSS tenants that are struggling, HOWEVER, their lack of understanding and inability to appreciate the landlords’ perspective is bullshit and unbelievably boring.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had DSS tenants hurl abuse at me, informing me I’m greedy (what the fuck?) and ignorant for tarring everyone with the same brush. But my argument is, and I’m going to throw this out there… the people hurling that abuse at me are probably receiving benefits because they’re uneducated delinquents, as opposed to educated single parents or those claiming for physical disabilities. I say that because in almost ALL my rants about DSS tenants I’ve made it clear that I only refuse DSS tenants because of how ridiculous the actual Local Housing Allowance (LHA) system currently is, and not because I believe each and every DSS tenant is a money swindling fucker. If the system protected landlords better, then I’d sincerely accept them. But as it stands, the council side with rent dodging DSS criminals. See the distinct difference? I’m not judging anyone, I’m just refusing to get tangled in a broken system.

ALL DSS tenants need to understand that landlords are running a business, so they have to act like they’re running a business by assessing the risk factor of every decision they make. Like it or not, DSS tenants are high risk. No one is tarring everyone with the same brush here, so spare me from that overplayed and tiresome argument, I’m just stating a fact. The risk with accepting DSS tenants IS far greater than most other types of tenants, so why should landlords take that risk when they can substantially reduce their risk by taking a fully employed tenant?

What’s confusing is that no one shouts at banks when they assess applicants for bank loans, but as soon as landlords try to protect their investment with a little risk assessment they automatically become morally crippled!!! If I got declined for credit due to my ill financial circumstances (for whatever reason), I’d understand because it’s not like I’m being told I can’t get credit because i’m overly qualified. Now that would be confusing!!

Here are some facts from the article to suck on

• Benefits scroungers are routinely stealing rent money worth hundreds of pounds given to them by the state to pay their landlords.
• Up to one in 10 of the 674,930 tenants claiming the allowance sponge benefits, interviews with almost 1,000 landlords by the National Landlords Association found.
• The scandal has caused rent arrears of an estimated £227.4million up to October 2009.

ONE IN 10 abuse the system!! The justification for landlords rejecting DSS tenants’ is there and I want every DSS to realise that before they sit there wondering what the landlord is basing their facts on and why the asshole landlord is being such a judgmental prick.

I’m not saying the situation is fair for DSS tenants, and I’m not saying every DSS tenant is the same (that’s far from the truth), but what I am saying is, don’t blame the landlords for making their justified choice; blame those abusing the system and the Government for making the system so floored.

Those that abuse the system aren’t necessarily chavs or complete wasters; they’re every day people like Bernadette (the stupid, inconsiderate slag below) that most likely blends in with every other person. So while it’s so difficult to separate the genuine from the wasters, it’s perfectly valid to refuse DSS tenants.

They are being allowed to pocket the cash for eight weeks before the ­debt-ridden landlord is able to insist that the benefit is instead paid directly.

The article clearly highlights how and why it’s so easy to abuse the system. Shit needs to change for the situation to get better for both landlord and tenant.

Before I go, allow me to quickly go over my stance on the situation again, in easy bullet points, so no one gets confused:

• I don’t think all DSS tenants are the same. I’ve had pleasant experience with 2 of them (and bad experiences with 4 of them). They were decent and honest people that were dealt a bad hand in life.
• I’m not saying landlords should or shouldn’t accept DSS tenants, I’m just saying landlords have a legitimate reason for not accepting them, and DSS tenants should respect/accept that with understanding.
• While the government is largely to blame for the current state of affairs, I don’t blame them entirely. The criminals abusing the system (they ARE criminals as far as I’m concerned) need to be tossed aside and sliced with a sledge hammer.

For those people that deem my rant inappropriate, you can read the original news article online, OUTRAGE AS SCROUNGERS BLOW £220M IN BENEFITS! But I warn you, it’s no way near as good as my dribbling sanity.

Related posts:

Refusing DSS Tenants Is Discrimination
The Council Are So Shit To Landlords With Problem DSS Tenants (Part 2)
Reasons Why Landlords Shouldn’t Accept DSS Tenants

I mentioned I was going to use various websites to market my property; while that still remains true, I couldn’t resist making it public knowledge to my peers through my Facebook account. All I did was mention that I’ll shortly have a 2 bedroom house available for rent, and if anyone was interested to contact me to discuss business. Facebook is always worth a shot, even if it means confronting your dearest and nearest to inform them you wouldn’t let to them if they were the last tenant on the planet, simply because you actually know them and their habits (I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again).

I quickly received an interested response from a dude (we’ll call him Arnold Scraggle-pot for ease) that read my status. He’s not a close friend, nor is he a stranger; he’s wedged in the middle somewhere, but closer to being friend than foe. I know enough about him to know he’s not a complete douche-bag, consequently I didn’t dismiss him immediately. I provided him details of the property, which triggered his interest further. Fan-fucking-tastic, I thought!

Yesterday afternoon I showed Arnold Scraggle-pot around the property while my current tenant followed us around like a lost puppy (I hate it when tenants do that). Seriously, just give me space to do my job, i’m not going to masturbate on the bedsheets while no one is looking, you get me?

After the viewing, Arnold Scraggle-pot said he wanted it! I thought this was my lucky day because I had effortlessly found a tenant with in a day of inactively searching. I couldn’t ask for anymore.

As we had come to the end of the tour, we both stood outside the property with smiles, shaking hands, and that’s when he hit me with a nuclear stink bomb…

I’m not employed at the moment, so I’ll be getting the money through the council. That’s cool, ain’t it?

Urgh. I felt he intentionally withheld that information because he wanted to sucker me in first. He could have mentioned his circumstances before we both got erections and started shaking hands over forming a new tenant/landlord relationship. The fact he withheld his circumstance kind of gave me an uneasy insight into his character.

Not only don’t I accept DSS Tenants, but I also refuse to deal with prospective tenants that make me feel uneasy. I always go with my gut instincts!

I basically told him, it’s nothing against him (which it kind of was), but I refuse to accept DSS tenants because the council don’t have a clue when it comes to DSS Tenants, and if I ever got involved with the DSS system as it stands, i’ll drive myself into an early grave.

So yeah, I basically pulled the plug on the whole arrangement there and then. It was quite an anti-climax. What Arnold Scraggle-pot and I had breifly experienced was a teen-relationship, which typically has a life span of two minutes. And before you know it, your ex from one minute ago is behind the bike sheds with your best friend, sharing a pack of Salt and Vinegar Walkers. So I’m sure Arnold will find somewhere else to call home very shortly.

So it’s back to my initial plan of marketing the property through online property portals. I plan on replacing the current kitchen units first, because they’re not in great shape. Once that’s done, I’ll start executing my marketing strategy, which I’ll document like I did last time, Finding Tenants Without A letting Agent.

I know a lot of DSS tenants are probably thinking I’m a low life fuck-face for refusing DSS Tenants, but until you’ve actually been a landlord and dealt with the council, you don’t know SHIT. Like I’ve said for the 100th time, I don’t have a problem with individuals receiving housing benefit; I have a problem with the architecture of the DSS system. I refuse to support a system which makes no sense; this is a moral stand against the system, not the people. And until the system gets sorted, I’ll continue to wave away DSS tenants. For more details regarding the particulars of what’s wrong with the system, feel free to scour through the DSS tenants section- there’s plenty of meaty articles in there.

Related posts:

My Stupid Landlord-Friend Didn’t Transfer All Utility Bills Over To Her Tenant
My Friend’s Landlord Is A Rude Bitch And Her Tenancy Agreement Is Junk
This Is How I Helped My Friend Avoid Paying A Tenancy Renewal Fee

I was left wondering, so what if the fixed-term has ended? Why would a tenancy agreement need to be renewed when the current one is still perfectly valid? The only difference is that the tenancy agreement has now become periodic. Moreover, I had a DSS tenant for 3 years in the past, and I only ever renewed the contract ONCE, consequently the fixed-term ended on two occasions, and I never had that problem before.

I was initially totally pissed off at the council, because I’ve had my fair share of shitty experiences with council and DSS tenants and something like this seemed “typical” of the council, so I assumed it was another one of their ridiculous policies taking action. However, it all still seemed rather odd that the council would just suspend benefits for the reason already stated, especially without notifying the tenant.

My tenant was on the phone to the council this afternoon, attempting to resolve this mess. He was informed that the best way to resolve this problem was by getting the Landlord to clarify to the Housing Benefit Department that the tenant is still in fact …..errr the Landlord’s tenant, either by getting a new tenancy agreement drawn up and signed or by writing a letter!

I wrote the following letter:

To: [insert local council] Council, Housing Benefit Department

My tenant [insert tenant name] ([insert property address]) has informed me that his benefits have been suspended due to the fact the fixed-term in our Tenancy Agreement has ended.

I would like to clarify that [insert tenant name] and his family have not surrendered their tenancy, nor have I terminated the tenancy agreement.

Once the fixed-term in tenancy agreements have ended the tenancy automatically becomes a periodic one, which is the case with all assured tenancy agreements, and no different in this case. There is no need for a new contract to be drawn or signed unless the terms and conditions of the existing agreement have changed. In this case, nothing has changed.

I’ve had a tenancy agreement in the past with a DSS tenant which lasted for 3 years without change, and this problem never occurred, so I’m not used to this formality of suspending benefits once the fixed-term in tenancy agreements have ended.

Please take this letter as confirmation that [insert tenant name] and his family are still tenants at [insert property address].

Kind regards,

[insert landlord's name]

I clarified what was needed to be clarified, but I couldn’t resist from informing them I had never had problems like this before.

I quickly wrote the letter, printed it out, and went to my tenant’s house to hand it to him. He’s going to see the Council tomorrow to try and resolve the misunderstanding, so I told him to take the letter of confirmation with him.

When I popped over to his house we were talking about the situation, and I said, “It’s so weird that they just randomly stopped your benefits without any notification. That doesn’t seem right.”

Then my tenant looked at me awkwardly, like a lost puppy, and pathetically muttered, “errrr…well, a letter came through last week, but I didn’t really read it. It was 5 pages long.”

Urgh! I slapped my head and said, “You idiot!!!”, and he had no choice but to agree. Basically, the letter was inquiring whether he planned on continuing to stay in the property because the fixed-term was due to end shortly. He wasn’t being clear about whether he ticked the wrong box, or just completely ignored the letter, but it was obvious he had been a complete tit!! He had somehow suspended his own benefits. Consequently, my letter seems pretty stupid now, because it seems as though I’m blaming them (which I was). I was too lazy to rewrite it, so I was like, “BAH, just give them that letter anyways, the main point is still there in black and white, even though I do come across as an arrogant, stupid dumb fuck”

Based on previous experiences with the council, I know they won’t be in any rush to resolve this problem. However, apparently they said they will backdate his allowances if this is a genuine mistake (which it is).

At the end of the day, my tenant is a straight up guy and has NEVER missed a payment, so I knew it was a genuine mistake. Granted, that doesn’t excuse the fact it was a pretty stupid and irresponsible mistake to make. Ideally, he should be whipped for his incompetence, just to ensure an important lesson was learned.

Ahh the life of a landlord. It really doesn’t get much better than this. Careless tenants and late rent.

Due to the fact I won’t be receiving my tenant’s rent on time this month, I’ll have to cover the mortgage out of my own pocket, which means I’ll have to be extremely resourceful with my outgoings this month. If you see an extremely charming and attractive man dressed in black, picking fruit and veg from your garden late at night, don’t be alarmed. Moreover, if you want to help get me through this tough period in my life, you’re all welcome to donate to the “Feed the landlord” campaign.

Every penny will help. Give me just £1 (but preferably £5) today, and it will allow me to buy the tools I need (e.g. fishing rod and spade) to feed myself and my family for a life time.

Anyways, what a royal penis my tenant is!!

//RANT OVER!

Related posts:

DSS Tenants And The Shitty Council
The Council Are So Shit To Landlords With Problem DSS Tenants (Part 2)
Why The Fuck Do The Council Side With Rent Dodging DSS Criminals?

Whichever top-management piss-stain conjured up this formality needs to be peeled like an onion and tossed into a bowl of vinegar. Harsh? Nah. Why? Because…

• 1) The council are paying DSS tenants benefits which is meant to contibute towards their rent. The tenant is obviously spending their allowance on other shit, yet the council are STILL giving them advice on how to prolong the eviction process, allowing the landlord to gain maximum financial losses.
• 2) Landlords are actually doing the government a favour by housing DSS tenants. Eventually landlords will refuse to accept DSS tenants because of the current corrupt system – what will the government do then?

The council can argue that they are merely informing the tenants of their legal rights. But I’m saying that’s bullshit, because I know based on experience that they “advise” the tenants to stay in the property until they legally have to vacate, and that’s strictly different than “informing” It’s ridiculous.

If there was any justice in the world, the council would:

• Stop all benefits for the rent-dodging shithead until the balance is settled
• Tell them to get the fuck out of the property, and NOT advice them on staying in the property until they’re 2 months in arrears
• Tell them to stop fucking taking the piss, because there are genuine people out there that deserve benefits

But no, apparently patting the parasites on the back and providing them with guidance on how to cause as much damage as possible is the way forward!

I remember when one of my DSS tenants was in arrears. I had full intentions of evicting her, which she made clear to the council. She was then advised by the council to get a letter of intent from me, because she was told that if she could prove that she was going to be made homeless, she could be fast tracked onto the council house waiting list. Seriously, WTF?

If it were up to me, and it’s probably a good thing it’s not, I would happily provide the rent dodger with a sleeping bag and a few empty boxes, and wish them the best of luck.

When someone is receiving benefits, yet fails to pay rent and continues to receive support from the Government, you know something is seriously messed up.

Related posts:

The Council Are So Shit To Landlords With Problem DSS Tenants (Part 2)
DSS Tenants And The Shitty Council
My Tenant Has Agreed To Get The Fuck Out Of My Property

It would genuinely take a lot for me to consider accepting another DSS tenant because of what I’ve experienced, but I know what would work in their favour if they were ever to try and convince me. Sadly, DSS tenants are in a position where they have to convince landlords. To stand the best chance, here are a few tips:

1] Rental History

Rental history for a DSS tenant is vital. If you have positive rental history as a DSS tenant, it will show you’re still able to pay rent and respect the property and neighbourhood you live in.

Present your landlord with references and contact details of your previous landlord.

2] Get a Guarantor

Arrange a Guarantor that has stability – a well paid job and a home of their own.

3] Rental insurance

Offer to pay for rental insurance, so your landlord is reassured he/she will never lose out on rent. This option could involve a premium of a few hundred pounds, but it could be the safety net which will convince a landlord.

4] Get the council to pay directly to landlords

By default, tenants receive their housing benefit directly from the council, which they are then expected to pass onto their landlords. Of course, that wasn’t always the case- landlords used to receive the rent directly from the council. When that was the case, landlords were a lot more willing to take on DSS tenants. Some local councils will still pay direct to landlords under special circumstances.

See if you can get this arranged with your council, so your landlord receives the rent directly. It will be an extremely compelling arrangement for your prospective landlord.

5] Look in newspapers and websites like Gumtree

More and more letting agents are refusing to let DSS tenants in through the front door, so options are limited.

You’re best bet is to approach landlords directly, and the best way to do that is by looking in your local newspapers and websites like Gumtree, where private landlords market their properties.

6] Offer to put down a bigger security deposit

Typically, landlords will require one month’s rent to cover the security deposit.

The most a landlord can charge for any security deposit is the total of two month’s rent for an unfurnished property, or three month’s rent for a furnished property.

If you have the spare cash, offer to pay 2/3 months worth of a deposit.

7] Yes to DSS

I came across this website recently, Yes to DSS. Not entirely sure how it works or what they do, but their website says they specialise in providing quality private homes to tenants in receipt of Housing Benefit and Local Housing Allowance. It’s worth checking out!

Does anyone else have any other tips for the DSS community caught in the struggle?

Related posts:

Tips For Taking On DSS Tenants
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Common Misconception: Rent Is Guaranteed With DSS Tenants

From my experience, it’s usually tenants on Housing Benefit (HB) that make the claim to either a) sway landlords into thinking DSS tenants do have their perks b) don’t have enough experience with HB allowance to know any better. Either way, the assumption is completely inaccurate.

I agree, taking on DSS tenants do have their perks, however, saying that “rent is guaranteed” is total bullshit, so people really need to stop thinking/saying it is. It’s not guaranteed at all, and most landlords that have respectable experience with DSS tenants will know that. At first, I also thought that it was guaranteed rent. I don’t quite remember, but I may have even praised about that “guaranteed” shit on my blog in the past, but then I got some actual experience with DSS tenants, and my entire perspective did a u-turn.

This blog post isn’t an intended witch hunt for those receiving HB, this blog post is just a reality check.

The short fall

Firstly, DSS tenants have a shortfall to cover each month, which the tenant is expected to cover on time every month. That shortfall is NOT guaranteed. I’ve had a tenant in the past that had to pay £100 each month to cover her shortfall. It was often late, and frequently required constant chasing. She wasn’t a bad tenant, so eventually always coughed up the doe. But I know of landlords that weren’t even fortunate enough to receive the shortfall at all. The tenants just didn’t care about paying.

Yes, the majority of the rent is paid by Housing Benefit, but I don’t expect to let my house out at a 10% discount each month, otherwise I would have marketed the property with a lower monthly rate.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely a perk to have the majority of rent paid by the council, but it’s definitely not entirely “guaranteed”, which is my point.

Landlords are at the mercy of the council

Secondly, and most importantly, the council have the ability to seize/alter anyone’s benefits at the snap of a finger. And there’s nothing a landlord can do about it.

One day your tenant might be entitled to £700 per month, the next day their circumstances may change and they’ll be entitled to £500 per month, consequently the tenant will have a larger shortfall to cover. This of course brings me back to my first point- there’s no gaurantee the tenant will cover that shortfall on time every month.

And then, naturally, the tenant will say, “there’s been some kind of mistake. Give me a few weeks, I will sort it out with the council”. Soon enough, weeks has passed, and nothing has changed, and your tenant has now fallen into arrears.

The council won’t move quickly to resolve anything (believe me) and they sure as hell won’t talk to the Landlord to explain what is going on, because the personal finances of the tenant has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Landlord.

I’ve even seen cases where tenants were claiming HB fraudulently and as a result their allowance was completely terminated.

So no, regardless of whatever agreement/setup you have with your DSS tenant and the Housing Benefits Department, rent is NEVER guaranteed, and you’d be a fool to think otherwise.

Right, that’s my little rant over. Love and peace all, love and peace!!

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