[ellis20009]

cant find any landlord who accepts dss/housing benifit

[montyzuma]

try taking out an ad in your local area

[Bluey]

Do a keyword search of this forum using terms like DSS, HB and LHA as there are plenty of historic threads on this topic that provide advice to increase your likelihood.

[vinnyl]

you dont have to tell the landlord

[colin44]

[vinnyl]

no there is a place on the form u sign if u dont want your landlord to be contacted

[Bluey]

[vinnyl]

well dif experience for me then i always thought u would have to tell the landlord and when ever i said it to the estate agents they always says landlord wont accept dss then met this estate agent that said dont tell them so that whats i did and the estate agents did all the checks and hey presto here i am happily ever after till i start my new job next month
you will have to come up with the deposit and one months rent plus fees in advance to cover urself

[mutley1]

sounds like you went through a dodgy estate agent. there's plenty of them out there. It is up to the landlord to ask to see the documents if the estate agent does not pass them on.

this is the very reason I avoid using agents as they can be so dodgy that they will put anyone into your property if you are not careful. I do more careful checks than any agent would do as it is important to me who occupies my property, whereas it is of no importance to the agent who they are, just as long as they pay their fees.

i had come across a big agent who took a person's name off the contract because they could not get a landlord reference but told that person he could still live there, just don't put his name on the contract and don't tell the landlord.

[vinnyl]

went through one of the high street popular names estate agency prefer not to name here but just cause u are dss doesnt make u out to be a bad tenant they had a checking company check me out

[mutley1]

They are all the same, whether big or small, all untrustworthy. I am talking about the agents that is, not the dss tenants.

I do not think all dss tenants are necessarily bad, but if I had specifically specified to the agent that i only want professional tenants and they lie to me to say that the tenant is working when this is clearly a lie, then I have great objection as someone has lied to me to get money.

This is a matter that would result in a fine if landlords take the dodgy agent to court for compensation.

I don't like diesel cars but there is nothing wrong with them. But I would be miffed if I was told by the dealer that the car runs on petrol just to get me to buy it and it is actually a diesel car, I believe I am due compensation or at least all of my money back!

[vinnyl]

i understand what u mean but they did ask was i working i said i was gave them a friends phone number they phoned him and he said yeah he is working etc etc basically told them what they wanted to hear

[mutley1]

This is why references can only be useful to a limited extent as they are so easily forged. I've seen a few in my time and they are quite easy to spot if you cross reference them.

For example, if someone says that they are employed then I would want to see payslips as well as the reference letter. I would also want to see bank statements where I would need to see that the monies on the payslips actually get paid into the bank account and indeed that the payslips come from the same company giving the employer reference.

I would also asks for a P60 form, which would need to show the employer name and the national insurance number, which would need to match to the payslips.

These sort of detective work do not get carried out by agencies, which is what I mean when I say I would do a more thorough check than they do.

Of course all of the above can be forged but it is more difficult to forge so many documents and most forgers are never that clever to make sure that all information ties up with one another.

[vinnyl]

yes what u say is so true and i aggree with u from my experience s u tell them what they want to hear and there happy no checks needed its just way they are its just another number more money for them and people seem to accept it
i didnt like doing it but i had no choice i have worked all my life never claimed anything up till now and i know its only for 2 months but if i didnt tell them i had a job i would not have found a place to live it was as simple as that as everyone said no dss

[mutley1]

oh, I don't blame people for trying as desperate people do desperate things and at the end of the day people just want a place to keep out of the rain and the cold.

My family were on dss all my life until I grew up and grew out of it, so I can sympathise with people who have naught especially as it is not always their fault that they have naught.

In answer to dss accomodation, poor areas of London, Tottenham for example, most landlords will accept DSS but as you say you need the deposit.

[vinnyl]

i was okay i had a deposit as had savings but it opened my eyes to the welfare system and how it worked i know its abused but for genuine people it def was a lot of hardship