x
By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies to enhance your experience.

TODAY'S OTHER NEWS

Landlords could be offered incentives to house tenants receiving benefits

The Welsh government is planning to introduce new incentives and other support to help encourage more landlords with properties in Wales to accept tenants claiming benefits.

The Welsh housing minister, Rebecca Evans, told the Residential Landlords Association’s Future Renting Wales conference in Cardiff, that she recognised that there were “increased” risks around tenants in receipt of benefits, due to benefits not meeting market rents and concerns about rent payments not being met in full and on time, but insisted that a new “exciting proposal” would help overcome the negatives.

She said: “Let me be clear, I want to find ways to eradicate the ‘no DSS’ barrier.

Advertisement

“Poverty should not be allowed to be the basis for discrimination.

“I want to see the Welsh government do more to support landlords who are willing to widen access by providing security of income, protecting against voids and losses and ensuring support for tenants during the duration of their agreement - and helping to improve the standard of the property they are renting.”

In return she said landlords would be expected to offer longer leases to tenants on benefits and low-income families.

Evans continued: “We are currently working on an exciting proposal to make an attractive offer of this type and it is one I want to move forward on at pace.

“These are exciting times for housing in Wales.”

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.

Poll: Are you willing to let to tenants receiving benefits?

PLACE YOUR VOTE BELOW

  • icon

    ''Poverty should not be allowed to be the basis for discrimination'' BUT RISK IS ! so someone waking up to the reason most of us say no DSS, the cause here is down to local and central government, but they are going to have to come up with something really good here, and i cannot see that happening.

  • icon

    Agree, the socialists in Cardiff are unlikely to come up with anything that meets a landlord's requirements.
    I get a lot of enquiries via my agent for DSS (a lot more than I used to), but they will have to make sure that they will take responsibility for any mishap before I will consider.
    For a start, they would have to make payment directly to the landlord not the tenant and provide a rental guarantee for any default.
    Secondly, they would have to make good any damage caused and agree to bring the property back to its original condition when the tenant vacates.
    Unfortunately, the number of tenants not claiming benefits are getting fewer in our area, therefore, it would be beneficial with the right scheme in place to able to consider them, but 'I won't hold my breath'?

    icon

    I totally agree. Pay monthly in advance direct to landlord, guarantee to cover any losses due to damage etc when tenants leave and make eviction easier and faster. - THEN we might consider helping out the Councils who can't do what they're already paid to do.

     
  • icon

    Agreed with Robert risk isn't a one-way street. If we are forced to take greater risks then the Council can share them

icon

Please login to comment

MovePal MovePal MovePal
sign up