“Earlier this month the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced a number of measures aimed at further tackling homelessness, including funding to help potential new tenants with rental or first month rent payments. However, it was a different measure that dominated the headlines and could prove more controversial than intended.
The Government has set its sights on tackling landlords and letting agents who (in its words) ‘potentially discriminate’ against tenants who are on benefits. The Government says just under 890,000 of the 4.5 million private renting tenants are in receipt of benefit – a figure the Government is seemingly keen to increase.
The proposal is that Government will meet with representatives from across the lettings spectrum to discuss “clamping down” on “blanket ban” adverts – with the potential of having a complete ban on “no DSS” adverts in the future.