If only landlords had a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy. Unfortunately, they don’t and as a result, people on benefits find it almost twice as hard to find decent accommodation. The discrimination they face is usually due to the fact that landlords suspect that when those in receipt of benefits get paid (as they are usually paid directly instead of to the landlord), this money will be spent elsewhere instead of being used to pay rent. As a result, recipients of benefits are usually owing their landlords which equally puts the landlord in arrears (as they usually have a mortgage to pay).
Moreover, landlords find it difficult to remove problem tenants that are constantly in rent arrears. If the landlord attempts to remove a problematic tenant, the tenant may turn to free services such as Citizens Advice Bureau, Shelter etc. who provide free legal advice and assistance to help them fight their case and remain in accommodation. At times, legal bills for the landlord can exceed the amount of rent owed and thus they prefer to avoid this process by not taking on benefit recipients altogether.
For those looking to move in with existing flatmates, the search can be even worse. I recently spoke to someone who turned to CityFlatmates because he was on benefits and a smoker and before getting in touch with us, it had taken him more than 5 months to find somewhere to live. Tenants tend to prefer living with someone who fall into the same category as they do, i.e. working professional. Some even go as far as to specify that their working hours are the same in order to cut down on bills and for their house to maintain a social culture.
Of course, this isn’t a fair method as this discrimination also affects those on benefits who actually DO pay their rent on time and do their very best to remain on their landlords good side.
So, with this in mind, here are a few pointers to help make your search easier.
- Think twice about disclosing that you are on benefits. You can do this by using a rent guarantor as proof of income instead of providing your own bank statements and being credit checked, etc.
- If you are finding it difficult to find flatmates who are open to living with people that are on benefits, consider finding flatmates that are also on benefits. You can use the CityFlatmate app to search by income and find others who are also in receipt of housing benefits to live with.
- Consider offering your landlord 3+ months rent up front. Landlords like it when things are easy and offering them rent upfront stops them from having to chase you about rent for the foreseeable future. In some cases, it also prevents you from being credit checked. If you are someone with extra cash but a less than perfect credit history, this method may be for you.
- Try to have a deposit. Most landlords will take a deposit which can range anywhere between 1 week to 2 months rent up front, plus your 1 month rent in advance!
Some of these options may seem a bit expensive for people on benefits so you may want to consider asking close friends and family members for assistance if you do not have the cash yourselves.
Wishing you the best of luck!
The CityFlatmates Team 😀
