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One of the features of the new website is a section called – Ask our experts for advice.

Although it’s designed for website members only, I frequently receive contact from individual claimants, desperately looking for help. I attempt to answer every query myself, even if it’s…

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DWP wrote to me this week, confirming it would pay my landlord client £1500 in respect of 4 missing months “housing costs”, originally refused at the point his tenant moved from “live” to “full service” Universal Credit, earlier this year.

The reason DWP gave for refusing payment was…

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Although I spend a large part of my time dealing with Housing Benefit and Universal Credit queries and disputes, occasionally, I assist clients challenge Council Tax demands. Invariably, I’m able to resolve disputes with the Council concerned, but, on occasions, need to pursue the issue to a Valuation…

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DWP has just made a “backdated” award of £3000 in Universal Credit “Housing Costs” to a Housing Association client of mine, fully clearing off rent arrears, that had been accruing, since February 2018, when their tenant was wrongly advised, by DWP, to cancel his Universal Credit claim.

DWP…

Good afternoon

The Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) have just published its annual report for 2018/19. A large part of the report, not surprisingly, focuses on the final phase of Universal Credit’s Managed Migration exercise – and explains, in detail, the various exchanges it’s had, with both DWP and Parliament…

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If your tenant claims Universal Credit, they will not be paid any money until 5 weeks after they submit their claim, and will be paid monthly thereafter.

They can ask for an advance payment of Universal Credit if they’re in financial hardship while they wait for their first…

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DWP has just issued its latest statistics on Universal Credit, covering, amongst other things, the numbers of claims and awards made so far, broken down, and including an analysis at regional and district level. The figures cover the period up to 11th July 2019 and can be found 

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You’ll find below, an exchange I’ve had with Neil Couling, DWP’s Director General, relating to the way DWP is currently mishandling the Third-Party Deductions (TPDs) scheme, especially as it relates to rent arrears recovery and levels of deductions being applied to some tenant awards.

I wrote to DWP…

Good afternoon

More details from DWP’s guidance to landlords can be found here.

Private landlords are landlords who usually own the property they are renting out.

Private landlords can be:

a company that owns a lot of properties a person or family that owns one or more properties…

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In today’s bulletin, we highlight the critical part played by specialist benefits staff, in helping tenants overcome the ever-increasing obstacles placed in their path, by DWP’s mishandling of claims, its seeming reluctance or inability to remedy errors, and, on occasions, downright intransigenence.

West of Scotland Housing Association (WOSHA)…