Housing Benefit

Will my landlord know if I claim housing benefit? Ive been renting for the past six months but I've recently lost my job and have had to take a job working full time but on the minimum wage. Because I'm under 25 I can't claim tax credits and my parents aren't around so I'm completely financially alone. I don't remember my landlord specifying about housing benefit, but I don't want to give him a reason to evict me. I currently earn about £870 a month and my rent is £530 a month including bills (I live in london)
Ive starting filling out an online application form for housing benefit but they ask for all your landlord details and I'm worried about them contacting him and then getting evicted in case he worries I won't pay my rent on time.
Ive been living on the minimum wage for the past month and by the end of the month I don't have very much left after paying transport to work and food. I can cope but its a huge struggle.

Hi

Yes they do usually require a signature from your landlord. I'm sure they won't be too fussed tbh. Best just to be straight up with them, as they will find out sooner or later. Just explain your situation.

This can be from your tenancy agreement. You don't need to tell your landlord and they can only contact your landlord with your permission and they recommend you don't give permission so you can't be discriminated against.

Pretty sure the landlord needs to know and has a right to know. I'm a landlord and they send us a form to fill in when a tenant has applied for housing benefit.

If they are DSS and they sign a tenancy agreement on that basis, that's fine.

Why should it make a different to the landlord? I pay my rent on time. Doesn't matter where it comes from.

Because it does matter to some landlords and they will discriminate because of it.. as they are entitled to do so.

What is it about the fact that I'm on benefits that makes me a bad tenant?

I've no idea, Im not a landlord. However as with most things; there's likely to be a reason behind it, even if only perceived risk.

The only reason behind it is that people are taught to hate those on benefits so they don't see the way the rich screw us all over.

Why should it make a different to the landlord? I pay my rent on time. Doesn't matter where it comes from.

it does matter. As the insurance company asks what type of tenant they have. They are entitled to know, many do not accept DSS as they perceive the quality of tenant to be lower.

Perceive is the important word here. Not they 'know' but they presume. What makes a 'lower quality' tenant? Doesn't pay their rent on time? Is anti-social and annoys neighbours? Wrecks the house/flat and any furnishings? I'd say I'm an good tenant. I pay my rent. I have had like 2 parties (and by party I mean like 10 people in my lounge chatting and having a couple of drinks) in the 4 years I've been renting. I've always got my full deposit back because I know how to respect the place I live and that it isn't mine permanently.

This is not about you. It's merely how it works in the UK. I am just trying to help OP. That's all.

But my point is that prejudices aren't always right. Just because a landlord wants to discriminate based on stereotypes doesn't mean they should be able to.

We only work on statistics. Everything is a statistical calculation! Some of the DSS tenants i've come across have been below par let's say.

Will my landlord know if I claim housing benefit? Ive been renting for the past six months but I've recently lost my job and have had to take a job working full time but on the minimum wage. Because I'm under 25 I can't claim tax credits and my parents aren't around so I'm completely financially alone. I don't remember my landlord specifying about housing benefit, but I don't want to give him a reason to evict me. I currently earn about £870 a month and my rent is £530 a month including bills (I live in london)
Ive starting filling out an online application form for housing benefit but they ask for all your landlord details and I'm worried about them contacting him and then getting evicted in case he worries I won't pay my rent on time.
Ive been living on the minimum wage for the past month and by the end of the month I don't have very much left after paying transport to work and food. I can cope but its a huge struggle.

As I'm sure some of the tenants who weren't on housing benefit have been.

I'm curious what calculations you use to decide the probability of a tenant not being suitable. Where are you getting your numbers from? Is there some non-biased research that gives you probabilities based on certain demographics of society? And then you enter these probabilities into a formula and it spits out a probability (with error bars) that the person who wants to rent your property is a 'bad tenant'?