Tag: DSS discrimination

One year of campaigning against DSS discrimination
One year of campaigning against DSS discrimination
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August 2018 marked the launch of our DSS discrimination campaign. It’s an issue we were repeatedly seeing highlighted as one of the most consistent and pernicious problems our clients were encountering.

Our advisers spend hours every week desperately searching for properties within our clients’ price-range, only to then have the options reduced further or eliminated completely by ‘no DSS’ policies. Seeing this clause on adverts for privately rented properties means that if you receive some or all of your income … Read more

DSS discrimination means renters are punished for their circumstances
DSS discrimination means renters are punished for their circumstances
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Kyrstyna and her husband, Geoff, had been homeowners. But when they lost their jobs due to redundancy, they were forced to go back to renting privately in their 50s.

Finding somewhere to rent was tough. Like many people receiving housing benefit, Krystyna and Geoff faced DSS discrimination and struggled to find a place to live. In the end, they were forced to move all the way from the West Midlands to Cornwall just to find somewhere that would accept them … Read more

Not enough of a Rightmove
Not enough of a Rightmove
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More significant progress in Shelter’s fight against housing benefit discrimination this week, as Rightmove signalled their intention to ban all ‘No DSS’ adverts from their website. At least that’s what the headlines say…

Look beyond them and it’s clear that Rightmove still have work to do to end DSS discrimination for good. We commend them for acting, but under their proposed approach, letting agents will still be free to post discriminatory adverts in breach of equality law.

What are … Read more

How I challenged DSS discrimination
How I challenged DSS discrimination
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A version of this blog was published on Huffington Post UK.

Guest blog by Philippa Lalor, a Shelter supporter and client

Almost one in three renters receiving housing benefit haven’t been able to apply for a place to live because of discriminatory ‘no DSS’ practices.

These range from a total ban on renting to people on benefits, to simply advertising a vast number of properties as ‘no DSS’.

As part of our campaign against DSS discrimination, Philippa successfully challenged discrimination … Read more

International Women’s Day: we must see an end to women in housing poverty
International Women’s Day: we must see an end to women in housing poverty
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International Women’s Day is a brilliant celebration of the women we all know and look up to, including our women politicians. But as well as those with a high-profile, we should also be celebrating the thousands of women, often hidden from view, who are keeping their families going despite facing homelessness and destitution.

Every day in the UK, women are waking up in poverty because they can’t cover the costs of their rent. This is no accident. The housing benefit … Read more

Two big wins in the fight against DSS discrimination
Two big wins in the fight against DSS discrimination
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Over the last year we’ve been campaigning hard to end the discrimination people on housing benefit (also known as DSS) face when they try and rent a home.

Together we’re making a real difference. Last week we had not one, but two massive campaign wins.

The first is that the government announced a crackdown on landlords who simply refuse to rent to people who receive housing benefit.

Housing minister Heather Wheeler said:

‘Everyone should have the same opportunity when … Read more

Stop DSS Discrimination: Live blog
Stop DSS Discrimination: Live blog
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This blog rounds up everything we’re doing in the fight to end DSS discrimination.

We’re campaigning against discrimination faced by renters receiving Housing Benefit. So-called ‘no DSS’ policies are unfairly locking hundreds of thousands of people out of homes they could otherwise afford, pushing them closer to homelessness. You can join our campaign here.

Stop by this blog regularly for the latest updates on the campaign!

21 January: BIBA put tackling DSS discrimination front and centre in 2020 manifesto

Some … Read more