Can I Check If House Is Dss?

[Shabtarik]

I am renting house but i think landlady got dss on the property.i am private tenant but it look bit dogy can i check if she is claiming dss on it?

[DJHawkes]

no such thing as dss is there?

[bednobs]

i don't understand what you mean - what is DSS? are you talking about housing benefit?

[DJHawkes]

there's a sure fire way to find out, make a claim for housing benefit yourself, see who got there first

[MadMen]

I don't think it's possible, as the council tax would match up on their systems.

[starone]

I take it you mean is it council housing, or similar. I would go to the local council housing and check. I understand this is a common thing - to sub-let council housing at an inflated rate. If you are caught I think it may mean eviction (for you and your 'tenant')

[MadMen]

I don't get how this could happen? Surely the OP would be paying council tax for the property, along with the landlady being awarded council tax for the same property????

[THECORBYLOON]

DSS is now DWP and no, you can't find out about any benefits

[starone]

It is not necessarily about benefits, but about who is the supposed tenant of the property. This is happening quite a lot. Someone is allocated a house or flat by the council or housing association at a very low rent and then they sub-let it to someone else for a rent which is of course more than they are paying for it. It is not legal but they have to be caught first and it seems to me that no-one is looking very hard.

[Shabtarik]

She included council tax and water in rent but when i asked to reduce rent and i ll pay council tax she said cant do that cause of mortgage reason is that true?

[MadMen]

No, I don't think so.
Hmm, I think your only option here is to do at Dot suggests, and put in your own claim for Housing Benefit..... although... you realise you do run the risk of losing the roof over your head...?

[EDDIE51]

Council tax and mortgage seperate . It is the responcibility of the tenant to pay the council tax NOT the landlord mortgage or not , your landlady is talking b*llocks !
I very strongly suspect the house is a council or housing association property and the person who is renting it to you is subletting it illegally. If true this means your tenancy is illegal and you have no right to be in the property. You need to find out what the situation I would suggest you contact your local CAB and tell them the situation. They will advise you of the best way to proceed.
Sorry but it looks like you are in danger of losing the roof over your head. Just letting this situation carry on is not a good idea as the council or housing association will find out sooner or later and you will be evicted. If you can't get hold of the CAB get in touch with Shelter the charity they have free advice available for situations like this.

[IggyB]

If you suspect a fraud is taking place I would strongly advise you not to submit a false claim for housing benefit as some sort of test.

Tenants are responsible for paying council tax however this responsibility can be contracted to the landlord instead, your contract would help in any court case but the council would chase you (as the tenant) in the first instance.

You run the risk of causing yourself a lot of grief, but if you have found yourself in the middle of a fraud it might be best to do something about it as soon as possible. A trip to the council office to discuss council tax etc would probably be the place to start. Also you should register to vote from that address, that would also flag the issue to the council.

If your landlord has not taken out a mortgage that allows the property to be rented then she could be trying to avoid the mortgage company finding out by paying your council tax and water rates? might not be about benefit fraud.

[Peter Pedant]

Hmm odd.

Council Tax - ring up your council and ask who is paying council tax on the property. Odd thing is that the council tax people should be writing to you direct.

Housing Benefit - now called local housing allowance but doesnt matter.ting up the department and say you think a fraudulent claim has been made.....

[Peter Pedant]

Do NOT claim Housing Benefit unless you think you are entitled to it.
the form involves signing a bit where you say you understand you should be telling the truth and are liable to prosecution for telling lies.

As a landlord I am philosophical about being investigated
but you r landlord may not be and may take steps to end your tenancy.

I got involved in four investigations for one tenant in one year - clearly it was a neighbour dispute and he was getting on the nerves of the informing neighbour - who was using one of her relatives inside the council to forwrd the complaints.....


dss isnt claimed on the property - it has to be claimed by a person and is then paid to him/her or direct to the landlord

I agree there is something odd going on

[tamborine]

some mortgage comps need to be informed if properties are rented out; usually for property insurance.

[EDDIE51]

If as the questioner says they needed to ask for the rent to be reduced then it would not be 'false' to make a claim for housing benefit. ( unless they lied about their income)
If Shabtarik is a single occupier then a 25% council tax rebate is automatically due. If no council tax demands are being received how can you tell if the 25% rebate is being applied ?
Shabtarik just go ahead and make a claim for housing/council tax benefit but do not tell lies , it will not be a 'false' claim , the worst that can happen is you get told you do not qualify. It will settle the argument about if the tenacy is legal though . Not claiming is not a good idea if it is an illegal tenancy the council will find out sooner or later and you will be in a better position if you are honest about it.

[RATTER15]

Just tell DWP of your concerns and they will investigate it, they will not however give you any feed back on the situation.

[Barmaid]

Might be worth doing a quick search at the Land Registry to see who really owns the property.

[karenmac60]

The one honest reason I can think of her not letting you pay your own CT is that she wants to make sure it is paid. I rented out a flat years ago and one of my tenants didn't pay a penny of his CT despite assuring me it was all in hand. I ended up being chased up and had to pay the money back myself since he had done a bunk. Maybe she's just covering herself.

[sherrardk]

Think before you rock the boat - how badly do you need to live where you are?