I’m sure you’re already aware that the Local Finance Act November 2012 makes provision for the localisation of a Council Tax Support scheme in England.  In Wales similar provisions have been made for a Council Tax Reduction scheme.  In doing so, the Government has effectively abolished the national Council Tax…

The above headline title sounds a bit like an American election pledge, but it’s perhaps worth reminding those private landlords engaged in providing accommodation to Local Housing Allowance (LHA) tenants tat, even assuming the Coalition Governments meets its ambitious target of abolishing Housing Benefit (HB) by 2017, it will remain…

LGO report – maladministration found – compensation agreed of £1800 – LGO criticises council for its mishandling of the landlord’s complaint Download Full Report…

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LGO report – maladministration agreed – compensation paid – council found to have paid HB wrongly to tenant. Download Full Report…

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The Residential Landlords Association has just published an article which I prepared. It focuses on the issue of HB Overpayments, and, the oftentimes, overzealous attempts by Council Housing Benefit sections to recover large sums of money, sometimes many thousands of £’s, directly from landlords. In the case highlighted £22K was involved. Nationally,…

See link to RLA press release confirming DWP will be applying the 8 weeks’ rule during the Pathfinder exercises. http://news.rla.org.uk/landlords-welcome-direct-payment-announcement/ This represents a significant climb-down by the Government, and explains why they chose to bury the announcement in an obscure UC circular. It also suggests the same rule will be…

It will have come as no surprise to anyone following the development of Universal Credit that the cross party Work and Pensions Committee has announces an inquiry into progress towards implementation of the Universal Credit which is scheduled to go live next autumn. The warning signs have been there for…

Since the Coalition Government first announced in the Emergency Budget in July 2010 that an under-occupation reduction would be introduced for Housing Benefit claimants living in social sector housing there has been a lot of discussion in housing journals and elsewhere about whether or not taking in a lodger might…

Regular readers of this column may recall the article I wrote last December “Welfare Reforms – Wake-up Call” after my controversial workshops at the NLA’s conference inManchester, last November. I recounted one of the delegates commenting: “Your presentation this morning had the same effect as a doze of Prozac taken…

In my recent article, Universal Credit and Non-Dependant Deductions, I highlighted the rising levels of contributions toward the rent that were expected from working grown-ups living with the claimant, normally sons and daughters, resulting in significant reductions in the Housing Benefit of their parent(s). I also drew attention to a…