Good morning

This article was published yesterday in Landlordzone News. It concerns a private landlord operating in the Manchester area, whose tenant failed to report Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rent increases following the issue of Section 13 (rent increase) notices in 2020 and 2024, when the Government increased the…

Good morning

The April 2025 Benefits Uprating order will impact your tenants’ personal benefit entitlement and housing costs. While limited in scope, the rises will be welcomed, as many families have struggled to cope with rising prices.

Those of pensionable age will experience a rise of 4.1% to their state…

Good morning

Most Council and Housing Association rent control teams rely, at least partially, on rent deductions (Third-Party Payments) or the threat of them being applied, from their tenants’ state benefits, to help manage rent arrears and minimise the need for repossession actions. Some tenants accrue multiple debts that could…

Hi

My clients at Key Housing provide quality “Supported Housing” to vulnerable tenants throughout Scotland. Most tenants require assistance completing and submitting their Housing Benefits claims to council departments. Overall, the process, honed over many years, works well, because Key’s staff have developed effective working partnerships with the various benefit…

Good morning

Last week, I represented my client Miss X at a First-tier tribunal, concerning DWP’s refusal to award “housing costs” for the property she occupied, and which was purchased, in September 2023, specifically for her use by her parents. Her need for accommodation started in…

Good morning

Several website members have enquired about the recent High Court Judgement of R (Roberts) v Sec of State for W & Ps [2025] EWHC51 (Admin) and asked, to what extent, if any, the judgement might affect their ability to secure Managed Payments for the monthly rental charge, and…

Good morning

My last bulletin highlighted DWP’s plans to add 3,100 staff to its Enhanced Review team, bringing the total to nearly 6,000 strong. As explained, it intends to review 8 million current awards of Universal Credit, starting from April 2025, in the hope it can stem the rise…

Good morning

The Autumn Budget, delivered by Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, was disappointing for many benefit claimants, particularly those under pensionable age (66), with the news of April 2025 increases being pegged at just 1.7% for benefits like Universal Credit, PIP, ESA, and Child Benefit.

Pensioners fared better with both State…

Hi

This was an unusual appeal, involving 16 tenants and demands for £235,000 in alleged overpayments. Allegedly, because there never was any overpayment in the first place nor should my clients and their tenants have been put through 3 years of unnecessary worry, anxiety, and cost. DWP subsequently accepted it had made…

Good morning

Last week’s bulletin created a bit of a stir and prompted landlord clients to ask:

Why can’t a tenant report a change, like the annual rent charge, either in advance of the change or, at least, within the Benefits Assessment Period (BAP), in which the change occurs;…