Wigan landlords still dislike renting to benefits claimants

This is despite a judge calling blanket bans unlawful and discriminatory.
Landlords are still preferring not to rent to benefit claimants in WiganLandlords are still preferring not to rent to benefit claimants in Wigan
Landlords are still preferring not to rent to benefit claimants in Wigan

The BBC Shared Data Unit found more than half of properties in the borough recently listed on OpenRent did not accept potential tenants who needed state financial support.

A snapshot of the website found only 39 of the 87 properties in Wigan up for rent said “DSS income accepted”, with the acronym standing for the Department of Social Security and being used as a shorthand for benefits claimants despite it being replaced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in 2001.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Yet the analysis was conducted after a county court case in July in which a judge ruled across-the-board “No DSS” rental bans were against equality laws.

The picture is not as bad in Wigan as in other parts of the country, with the BBC Shared Data Unit’s national analysis finding 76 per cent of listings expressing a preference not to rent to benefits claimants out of more than 9,000 properties advertised.

That was compared to the 55 per cent figure recorded for the borough.

Homelessness charity Shelter and rights organisations called for immediate action across the sector to end the use of No DSS and said those continuing to use the practice risked court action.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, OpenRent said it also supported the ban and robustly defended its record on finding benefits claimants somewhere to live, saying it was deeply unfair to label the website discriminatory or hostile to DWP clients.

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) said there were a number of factors that could make landlords reluctant to take on claimants but warned the issue would only grow in importance if unemployment rises dramatically once the government’s furlough scheme paying wages during the Covid-19 pandemic ends.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “‘No DSS’ discrimination is outdated, grossly unfair and it’s unlawful under the Equality Act, as our recent landmark legal victory confirms.

“This is because it overwhelmingly prevents women and disabled people, who are more likely to need support paying their rent, from finding a safe home.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Last month’s ruling should be a wake-up call for landlords and letting agents to clean up their act and treat all renters equally.

“We won’t stop fighting DSS discrimination until it’s banished for good.

“OpenRent should ban landlords from advertising their properties as ‘DSS not accepted’ and remind them of their legal duty not to discriminate. Otherwise they are putting themselves and their landlords at risk of serious legal action.”

Adam Hyslop, founder at OpenRent, said it had let more properties to benefits claimants than any other UK agency in the past year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, he also said some landlords might have reasons such as mortgage clauses for not renting properties to certain budding tenants and internal work at OpenRent found tenants themselves preferred the DSS information to be on the website.

Mr Hyslop said: “We fully support Shelter’s efforts to eliminate blanket bans and are pleased there now appears to be legal precedent around these.

“To characterise us as somehow hostile to benefit claimants is simply unfair and inaccurate.

“We know that access to suitable properties for benefit claimants is a real and painful problem, and we want to solve the root causes of these issues.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

OpenRent’s listings include a tenant preference where landlords can tick or cross the box “DSS Income Accepted”.

Mr Hyslop also suggested the snapshot may have a disproportionate number of No DSS properrties as they tended to stay on the site longer.

The NRLA said landlords faced issues with renting to benefit claimants including complaints about Universal Credit, a shortfall between housing benefit and rents, claimants being seen as higher risk by banks and building societies and fees being incurred for tenants who fail credit checks and references.

The Wigan data in the snapshot showed there were more properties available allowing smokers, students or families to rent than for those on benefits.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, it was harder for people with pets to find somewhere to stay, with just 28 properties accepting animals.

A spokesperson for the Equality and Human Rights Commission said: “The recent ruling will go a long way to ensure all renters’ rights are equal, regardless of their life situation or background.

“If landlords and estate agents don’t change their policies and practice, they will be at risk of claims of discrimination from would-be tenants.”