Friday, 11 September 2026. For years, phrases such as “No DSS” and “professionals only” appeared regularly in rental advertisements. For renters receiving Universal Credit or other benefits, the message could be understood before they had even asked to view the property: do not apply.
From 1 May 2026, England has specific statutory protections against rental discrimination involving prospective tenants who receive benefits or have children.
The change matters because it affects more than the wording used in an advert. It also applies to the way prospective tenants are considered during the letting process.
What counts as rental discrimination?
A landlord cannot refuse somebody simply because they receive benefits or because they have children.
The official guidance also makes clear that the protection can apply where the decision is based on a belief that somebody receives benefits or has children, even if that belief turns out to be wrong. The rules apply to landlords and to people acting on their behalf, including letting agents and referencing services.
This means removing “No DSS” from the property advertisement while automatically rejecting the same applicants later would not solve the underlying problem.
The decision-making process matters.
Does this mean landlords cannot carry out affordability checks?
No.
This is an important distinction for both tenants and landlords.
The legislation does not require a landlord to ignore whether somebody can afford a property. Landlords can still use legitimate financial criteria and referencing procedures when deciding whether an applicant can sustain the tenancy.
The difference is between assessing someone's actual circumstances and rejecting an entire category of people.
A renter receiving part of their income through benefits may still have sufficient total income to meet legitimate affordability requirements. Their application should not simply disappear because of where part of that income comes from.
What if the landlord says the mortgage does not allow it?
The legislation anticipated this issue.
Government guidance states that discriminatory provisions in superior leases and mortgage agreements relating to tenants with children or receiving benefits were cancelled from 1 May 2026. Relevant discriminatory insurance terms are also addressed by the reforms.
That is significant because restrictions elsewhere in the property chain had historically been used as reasons for excluding some applicants.
Families are protected too
The reform is not only about benefits.
Blanket discrimination against applicants because they have children is also prohibited.
That does not mean every property must be offered to every family regardless of circumstances. Legitimate considerations such as lawful occupancy limits and whether a property is suitable for the proposed number of residents can still matter.
But “we don't rent to families with children” is a very different decision from establishing whether a particular home can appropriately accommodate the particular household applying for it.
What should a tenant do if they think they have been discriminated against?
Evidence matters.
Keeping the original advertisement, emails and written communication can help establish what happened. An explicit statement is easier to demonstrate than a telephone conversation that leaves no record.
The wider importance of the reform is that access to rental housing should depend on legitimate considerations relating to the tenancy—not outdated assumptions about what type of renter somebody is likely to be.
For London's diverse rental population, that is a substantial change.
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