Landlords are losing rental income, tenants are struggling to find homes, and letting agents are under pressure to fill vacancies. But could outdated tenant selection practices be making the problem worse?
Let's start with a situation most letting agents will recognise.
A landlord has a property sitting empty. It's been advertised for several weeks, enquiries are coming in, but the agent keeps reporting the same thing.
"We haven't found the right tenant yet."
Fair enough. Nobody wants to rush into a tenancy with the wrong applicant.
But here's a question worth asking.
Are there genuinely no suitable tenants, or are some potentially good applicants being ruled out before they've even had a chance?
At DSS Select, we believe this is a conversation the lettings industry needs to have, particularly following the changes introduced by the Renters' Rights Act in May 2026.
An Empty Property Costs Everyone
Every letting agent understands the financial impact of a vacant property.
Take a fairly typical rental property advertised at £1,500 per month.
Every week it remains empty costs the landlord approximately £346 in lost rental income.
Leave it empty for eight weeks, and that's around £2,770 gone.
The mortgage still needs paying. Insurance, service charges and maintenance costs don't disappear simply because there's no tenant.
And for the letting agent, an empty property can mean lost management fees, additional advertising and more time spent arranging viewings.
Of course, some void periods are unavoidable.
But if a property is attracting enquiries and suitable applicants are being dismissed unnecessarily, that's a different matter.
An empty property isn't always evidence of a shortage of tenants. Sometimes it's evidence of a shortage of flexibility.
The Problem with the 'Perfect Tenant' Mentality
Every landlord wants a reliable tenant who pays the rent, looks after the property and causes as few problems as possible.
That's perfectly reasonable.
But somewhere along the way, the industry has developed an idea of what the perfect tenant should look like.
Full-time employment. A particular salary. A spotless credit history. No benefits.
The problem is that real life doesn't always fit neatly into those categories.
Someone receiving Universal Credit may also be working.
A self-employed applicant may have irregular monthly income but substantial savings.
A family receiving Housing Benefit may have an excellent rental history.
None of these circumstances automatically makes someone unsuitable.
The important questions are whether the applicant can reasonably afford the rent, meet the tenancy obligations and provide appropriate supporting information.
Good tenant selection is about assessing risk, not making assumptions.
The Renters' Rights Act Has Changed the Rules
Since 1 May 2026, the Renters' Rights Act has prohibited blanket discrimination against prospective tenants because they receive benefits or have children in England.
For letting agents, this is an important change.
Automatically rejecting applicants receiving Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, or advertising properties with blanket "No DSS" restrictions, is no longer acceptable.
Landlords and agents can still carry out appropriate affordability assessments, obtain references and consider legitimate suitability criteria.
But those assessments must be applied fairly.
A landlord's preference for tenants who don't receive benefits is not, by itself, a lawful reason to exclude applicants.
This isn't about forcing landlords to accept unsuitable tenants.
It's about ensuring that potentially suitable applicants are given proper consideration.
At DSS Select, that principle has always been central to our approach.
Are Some Agents Still Operating with Outdated Attitudes?
Recently, DSS Select contacted 100 randomly selected letting agents to introduce our tenant-matching platform.
We explained that registration was free and that the platform connects landlords and letting agents with prospective tenants receiving Universal Credit and Housing Benefit.
The response was disappointing.
Not one of the 100 agents expressed positive interest, and three requested to be unsubscribed.
Now, we're not suggesting this proves discrimination.
Agents receive marketing approaches every day. Some may have enough applicants already, while others may simply have no interest in another platform.
Those are legitimate reasons not to engage.
But the experience did make us question whether the industry's attitude towards tenants receiving housing support has really changed.
Would the response have been different if we'd described the same service without mentioning Universal Credit?
We don't know.
But it's a question worth considering.
Could Agents Be Missing Suitable Applicants?
Let's imagine a landlord has a two-bedroom property available at £1,400 per month.
The agency receives enquiries from employed professionals, self-employed applicants and families receiving some housing support.
If the agent automatically excludes the third group, the landlord is immediately presented with fewer options.
But what if one of those applicants has lived in their previous property for seven years, has good references and can demonstrate that the rent is affordable?
Should they really be overlooked simply because part of their income comes from Universal Credit?
We don't believe so.
And commercially, it doesn't make much sense either.
The agent's responsibility is to identify suitable applicants and present landlords with accurate information.
Reducing the applicant pool unnecessarily can make that job harder.
Landlords Need Facts, Not Assumptions
One of the most valuable services a letting agent provides is professional advice.
Landlords rely on agents to understand the market, explain their legal responsibilities and help them make informed decisions.
If a landlord expresses concerns about accepting a tenant receiving benefits, the answer shouldn't simply be to reject the applicant.
A good agent should explain how affordability can be assessed, what references are available and whether additional lawful financial support, such as a guarantor, may be relevant.
There may be genuine reasons why an applicant isn't suitable for a particular property.
But those reasons should relate to the circumstances of the tenancy, not stereotypes.
Professional letting agents should help landlords make better decisions, not simply reinforce outdated assumptions.
Technology Can Help Broaden the Tenant Market
Traditional property portals remain an important part of letting a property.
But they're not the only way to reach prospective tenants.
Specialist platforms can help connect agents with applicants who may otherwise struggle to access the private rented sector.
DSS Select was created with that objective in mind.
Our platform connects landlords and letting agents with prospective tenants receiving Universal Credit and Housing Benefit.
It is designed to help agents consider a wider range of applicants while retaining control over whom they contact and how they assess suitability.
Registration for agents is free.
We're not asking letting agents to abandon their existing referencing procedures or compromise their landlords' interests.
We're simply offering another way to identify prospective tenants who deserve fair consideration.
A Wider Applicant Pool Doesn't Mean Lower Standards
This is an important distinction.
Nobody is suggesting that landlords should accept tenants without proper checks.
Affordability, references, previous tenancy history and the ability to meet contractual obligations all remain relevant.
But there's a difference between carefully assessing an applicant and excluding them before any assessment takes place.
A wider tenant pool gives agents more choice.
It doesn't remove their responsibility to make informed recommendations.
In fact, having access to better information about applicants can help agencies make more consistent decisions.
That's good for landlords, tenants and the reputation of the industry.
Empty Properties Should Prompt Better Questions
When a property has been vacant for several weeks, most agents review the asking rent, photographs, presentation and marketing strategy.
All sensible steps.
But perhaps another question should be added.
Are we reaching and fairly considering the full range of suitable applicants?
If the answer is no, there may be an opportunity to improve the letting process without reducing the rent.
That doesn't mean every property will let immediately.
Nor does it mean every applicant will qualify.
But widening access to suitable tenants is worth exploring before concluding that demand simply isn't there.
It's Time for the Industry to Move Forward
The private rented sector is changing.
Legislation has evolved, affordability remains a challenge and landlords expect agents to deliver results.
For letting agents, the opportunity is to combine commercial thinking with fair, professional tenant selection.
At DSS Select, we believe those two objectives belong together.
Landlords want reliable tenants and consistent rental income.
Agents want to reduce unnecessary void periods and provide a valuable service.
Prospective tenants want a fair opportunity to secure a home.
None of those ambitions needs to come at the expense of another.
The best letting agents won't be those who reject the most applicants. They'll be those who identify the right applicants through a fair and informed process.
A Message to Letting Agents from DSS Select
If you're a letting agent with properties sitting empty, perhaps it's worth asking whether you're reaching the widest suitable tenant market.
DSS Select provides a specialist platform connecting landlords and letting agents with prospective tenants receiving Universal Credit and Housing Benefit.
We believe in fair consideration, informed decisions and giving agents more options without compromising professional standards.
Registration is free, and agents remain in control of which prospective tenants they choose to approach.
Before telling your landlord there are no suitable tenants, make sure you've considered all the possibilities.
Visit www.dssselect.co.uk to register and explore the platform.
DSS Select — Connecting Landlords, Letting Agents and Tenants.
