Housing association Great Places has been forced to issue a public apology after its letting agent arm posted ‘no DSS’ advert.
High street agency Equity Housing, which advertises properties for sale and rent on behalf of Great Places, other registered providers and private landlords, posted an advert for a private rented property that stated individuals on benefits would not be accepted as tenants.
The listing, which was posted on behalf of a private landlord, included a description of the Stockport-based property followed by the phrase “full-time applicants only and no DSS considered”.
Great Places said the advert was “unacceptable” and “falls short” of the group’s standards.
Letting agents and buy-to-let landlords are not allowed to discriminate against benefit claimants, a court ruled last year.
The court case in York last July ruled that blanket bans on claimants are strictly forbidden, on the grounds of discrimination.
The court ruling found a single mother-of-two had experienced indirect discrimination when a letting agent refused to rent to her.
She ended up homeless with her two children, but the judge ruled “No DSS” rental bans are against equality laws.
The government in 2019 launched a crackdown on letting agents and BTL landlords posting ‘no DSS’ adverts discriminating against tenants claiming housing benefit.
Around 20% of people living in rented accommodation in the UK receive housing benefit.
Guy Cresswell, executive director of customer services at Great Places, told the press: “We wholeheartedly apologise for the content of the advert and understand the upset that it has caused. It is unacceptable for this wording to have been used and it does not reflect group policy.
“We believe that the wording was copied from an old advert which we accept falls short of our own high standards. It has been removed and won’t be used in future adverts.”
Comments (8)
Can someone who is classed as ‘DSS’ get a mortgage?
Yes they can, believe it or not!
Can you refuse someone who is classed as’ DSS’?
Yes you can, but the court ruling said not before you have made your checks, blanket ban advertising was the issue.
At the end of the day, extra costs imposed on Landlord (e.g. having to deal on a case by case basis with no-hopers) get passed on to tenants in the form of higher rents.
Ah, the schadenfreude of seeing it was a Housing Association’s listing……
The government is moving to make everyone a social landlord; like or lump it. Those with the biggest mouths and do not invest in housing people such as shelter the government etc are all dictating how us little investors should use our investments and control who we let to. This is because they make promises they do not keep and fool the hapless voters to elect them based on falsehoods; but when your desperate you believe it. Of course it will only be once investors leave the penny will drop. The reason the 1988 act came about was as a direct result of the impact of the Rent Act 1977. Cut yourself and you will bleed! No sorry I am wrong and stupid – now where is that application form I was completing to stand to be an MP
Why won’t my car insurers cover me on a Ferrari I have only written off 20 cars in 3 years. Perhaps shelter can help me with this discrimination. I can afford an insurance premium of £50 a year. my 95 year old uncle in Russia who works in the salt mines and lives on the streets is prepared to stand guarantor.
Because it’s you that are at fault. You are being adversely effected because of something you did. You are not being adversely effected because of what the 99.99% of other drivers on the road have or have not done.
A terrible analogy.
What’s the bet a dss person doesn’t get the property still ? Pointless restriction which only Wastes the DSS applicants times, plenty other reasons the agent will use if they don’t want that excess risk , but shelter need their little victories
Equality Act 2010 is always one of the most popular films on Able Agent!! Agents are still unclear about discrimination laws and how to protect themselves and it always brings about debate in our live sessions.