The vast majority of landlords in Bournemouth specify they would rather not let their properties to tenants on housing benefit, according to listings on a popular website.

Despite a court ruling earlier in the year that made it unlawful to blanket ban people on benefits, 90 per cent of landlords in Bournemouth on Spare Room still appear to be shunning tenants on housing benefit.

Only one property out of ten listed in Bournemouth on the popular renting site is marked as ‘housing benefit considered’.

Spare Room was displaying a ‘new tenant preferences’ list, which gave the landlord the option to consider whether benefits claimants are considered for tenancy or not.

A spokesperson for Spare Room said: “Some Buy to Let mortgages do still prohibit landlords from renting to people who receive housing benefit, so we’re changing the advertising process so that a specific mortgage clause is the only reason we’ll allow for saying they won’t rent to tenants on benefits.”

Some landlords are prevented from renting to tenants claiming benefits due to the nature of their buy-to-let mortgages.

As a result, Spare Room has now changed its filter - on the eve of this story being published.

Instead of 'housing benefits considered', the site now displays an option to 'hide ads that can't accept housing benefit (due to mortgage/insurance restrictions)' which it argues is necessary for these landlords.

People on housing benefit are often referred to by the acronym DSS, which stands for Department for Social Security, the forerunner of the Department for Work and Pensions, which oversees Universal Credit.

In July, a judge at York County Court ruled that blanket ‘No DSS’ rental bans by letting agents are unlawful and discriminatory under the Equality Act.

Because this judgement was from a low-level court it is not a binding rule for other cases, however charities and campaigners are hoping it will stick.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “July’s historic hearing sends a clear message to landlords and letting agents to drive out these old discriminatory practices for good – or risk legal action.”

Bournemouth Echo:

Chief Executive of Shelter - Polly Neate. (Image: Shelter).

Out of ten properties available on Spare Room, only one was available to tenants in receipt of benefits.

The available property is a top-floor one-bedroom flat, close to Boscombe gardens, which is on the market for £760 per month.

The cheapest price of a one-bedroom flat in Bournemouth on Zoopla is £300 whilst the most expensive comes in at an eye-watering £975

The cheapest two-bedroom property in Bournemouth is currently priced at £759 per month and the most expensive reaching £2,000 per month.

Bournemouth Echo:

Renting has become harder since the lockdown. 

With renting becoming increasingly difficult as we navigate the coronavirus pandemic, research by Shelter shows that almost 230,000 private renters in England have fallen into arrears since the pandemic started. 

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits surged to 2.7 million between March and July, according to the Office for National Statistics.

In May the government extended the ban on evicting tenants however this is scheduled to end in just over three weeks.

Shelter have revealed that despite the evictions ban, more than 170,000 private tenants have already been threatened with eviction by their landlord or letting agent.

With the furlough scheme scheduled to end next month and the UK being officially in a recession, more people than ever will be relying on benefits to survive.

Ms Neate has called the discriminatory banning of benefits claimants “outdated” and “grossly unfair”.

She added: “Anyone who is still being turned away from rental properties they can afford, purely because they receive benefits, should write a formal email or letter to the agent asking them to reconsider and reminding them that DSS discrimination is unlawful.”

A template letter can be found on Shelter’s website, alongside free and expert housing advice.