Zoopla has banned ads that specify “no housing benefit” and “no DSS” on its site, following pressure not to discriminate against benefits claimants.
The move by the property website, which hosts listings from thousands of landlords, has been welcomed by campaigners and bodies including the National Landlords Association (NLA) and the Residential Landlord’s Association (RLA), who believe blanket bans should not be used.
Previously, Zoopla hosted a number of adverts that excluded people on benefits. According to the National Housing Federation and Shelter, at least one in 10 rental property ads on the site discriminated against claimants.
[Read more: How I Fought Back Against ‘No DSS’ Discrimination On Behalf Of Disabled People Everywhere]
Writing for HuffPost UK on Friday, Philippa Lalor, a disabled housing rights campaigner, said she cried herself to sleep after being confronted with so many “no DSS” ads while looking to rent a new property – even though she had never been late on a rental payment.
Lalor wrote letters to five letting agents, calling on them to stop discriminating against people receiving housing benefit – and they agreed to make changes.
“We must not allow the ill-judged prejudice landlords and letting agents make the insecurity of renting even worse,” she wrote. “Every renter should be safe in the knowledge that they’re free to apply for homes they can afford – regardless of whether they receive a housing benefit top-up.”
RLA welcomed the move, arguing that landlords should not refuse someone solely because they are on benefits – and should consider prospective tenants on a case-by-case basis. “With growing numbers of benefit claimants now reliant on the private rented sector, we need to do more to give tenants and landlords greater confidence in the benefits system,” it said.
Zoopla added: “We fully support the recommendations of the NLA and the RLA, which oppose blanket bans against tenants in receipt of housing-related benefits, and are pleased to be taking action which clarifies this position.”