DSS / Housing Benefit
Rooms
Housing Benefit changes
In the summer of 2020, two court rulings concluded that housing benefit discrimination is unlawful and in breach of the Equalities Act. As a result, a blanket ban on landlords and agents advertising rooms as unavailable to benefit claimants was introduced. That's great news for anyone looking for a room who uses housing benefit to pay for any (or all) of their rent.
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What this means
Landlords and agents can’t list their rooms as unavailable to housing benefit claimants on property sites any more. Changing the way rooms are advertised is the first step, but changing perceptions and behaviour will take longer. That’s something we’ll be working on over the coming months but it does mean, for now, you may still find landlords who will decide not to rent to you if you receive housing benefit, but they won’t be able to say so in their ads.
Common misconceptions
One of the biggest worries landlords have is that tenants who receive housing benefit aren't at work, so will be at home more, increasing the amount of electricity and gas used and creating more general wear and tear on the property and furnishings. The truth is that a huge number of tenants claim benefits while working at the same time.
What does DSS mean?
"DSS" refers to the old Department of Social Security, which was responsible for benefit payments in the UK until 2001 and the name has stuck. Although the terms Housing Benefit, LHA (Local Housing Allowance) and Universal Credit are more correct, people still refer to DSS.
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