In the world of property hunting the term "DSS" refers to social housing benefit payments that certain tenants receive in order to be able to afford to rent property. The acronym DSS itself refers to the now defunct government Department of Social Security which was replaced by the Department for Work and Pensions all the way back in 2001.
The issue of whether or not to accept DSS is something all landlords have to consider. According to some, the amount of landlords who accept DSS is fewer than those who accept pets, and the issue is certainly high on the agenda of some campaign groups who feel that those receiving DSS help are unfairly discriminated against in the private housing market.