It has been observed that the landlords are not quite attracted to rent out their properties to DSS tenants (Department of Social Services). These are the tenants who enjoy housing benefits. Are you wondering what is DSS to be exact by now? DSS is the abbreviation for Department of Social Services. The landlords should have a cautious approach in handling the complexities like rental payments and the uncertainty factors in the benefits system.
Moreover, there are chances of additional challenges in the process like dealing with local authorities and the rental payments. DSS tenants must make the payments with the same kind of referencing checks as all other applicants. As a landlord, you might have several queries regarding the practicalities to know how to handle DSS tenants. We have covered you in this article to let you know everything you need about DSS tenants. Before we go into details, let’s first get an idea of what is DSS tenant?
An Explanation of What Is DSS?
A Department of Social Services (DDS) tenant refers to a kind of tenant who can claim the housing benefits. This claim is made because the tenant is going through a financial struggle due to being a single parent, disability or unemployment.
This is interesting to know that the Department of Social Services has no existence since 2001 after changes are made to the housing benefit system. Even then the DSS tenants enjoy the benefits of payment to cover the amount of rent.
Get in touch with our young and clever professionals to get instant solutions to your tenant’s problems. Choose the expert that suits your need, sign up instantly or request a callback.
Considering DSS Tenants – Things To Be Aware of!
It has been observed that most landlords are concerned about whether DSS tenants can afford the requirements of rental payments. Normally the tenants get universal credits and housing benefits in form of arrears. However, the tenants are required to make the rental payments as an advance. There are a few suggestions to make this process work smoothly, this includes the following:
- Payment Structure and Housing Benefits
- Make the Rental Payments Cleared in Advance
- Involve A Guarantor
- Referencing
Payment Structure and Housing Benefits:
As we all know that the landlords require rental payments in advance, this becomes an issue in the process of the tenancy agreement because the housing payments are given in form of arrears. This is wise to schedule your rental payments in such a way that ensures that the payments are made on time. There is an option to apply for alternative payment offers for the universal credit tenants.
Make the Rental Payments Cleared in Advance:
It is wise to consider collecting the rental payments in advance. Even if you find your DSS tenants are in the process of getting the housing benefits. It is also recommended to collect two months’ rental payment in advance.
Involve A Guarantor:
Often the landlords require a guarantor from the tenants as well. This means that the payment of rent is ensured by the guarantor in case the tenant is unable to make the rental payments. Such guarantees and their use is typically famous for the students who can not pass the credit as well as the DSS tenants.
Referencing:
It is required for the DSS tenants to pass the affordability checks. This further helps give confidence to the landlords that offering your property for letting to a person who is on housing benefits is fine. However, it is required that the tenants provide details like bank statements. Also, they should be able to ensure that they can make the rental payments easily.
Such cases are not any different from the regular tenants. The rules are kind of the same as they are for the regular tenants.
The Bottom Line
Finally, the discussion of what is DSS can come towards wrapping up as you have developed a better understanding of DSS tenants. We can sum up by saying that it is wise that the above-mentioned factors are taken into serious consideration while you act as a landlord. Especially when you have to deal with the DSS tenants. You have to have a cautious approach to make the payments cleared promptly.
We hope these few minutes of reading will help you to make the right choices as a landlord to avoid any unfavourable circumstances.
You are presented with a list of qualified professionals, services they offer, their reviews and pricing structure. Get in touch now to get the best possible solutions. We will love to serve you!
Disclaimer: The information about what is DSS provided in this article including text and graphics is general. It does not intend to disregard any of the professional advice.