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A First-tier tribunal recently supported my elderly client’s appeal for Housing Benefit, backdating the claim to February 2021. The HB arrears, accruing from the backdating of the award, will completely clear rent arrears, which had built up during the months we waited for the tribunal hearing. More importantly,…

Good afternoon

Chancellor, Rishi Sunak announced, in his autumn budget, several changes, which should benefit tenants, particularly those who work in low paid jobs, and are claiming benefits. However, he resisted demands to restore the £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit, introduced in March 2020, as part of the…

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By far the majority of UC tenants’ hand over their “housing costs element” (HCE) to their landlord to avoid the risk of rent arrears and legal action. Concern exists however, in those cases, where the tenant doesn’t hand over the funds, intended to reduce or extinguish their rent…

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In May this year, one of my Housing Association clients contacted me, seeking assistance with three separate overpayment invoice demands, from DWP, collectively amounting to, circa £5000. Before contacting me, its Finance Manager decided to tackle the problem, by contacting DWP’s Debt Management team, who had sent the…

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The Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman has just reported on a case of Housing Benefit (HB), where the complainant landlord lost rental income when the Council failed to pay HB to him, instead of the tenant, despite repeatedly requesting redirection due to the tenant owing more…

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Last December, I agreed to represent an elderly lady in a dispute over Housing Benefit with one of the London Boroughs. Her claim was refused, essentially because she was renting from her son, and the Council was unwilling to accept the Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) agreement they had…

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The Government, in its Spring 2021 budget, announced its intention to accelerate the introduction of advantageous changes to the under 35 exceptions, relating to the LHA rate, which will impact on both Local Housing Allowance and UC “housing costs” claimants.

The changes are focused on two groups:

Good afternoon

Earlier this month I sent you a bulletin explaining how DWP expects, tenants of social landlords to report their April 2021 rent charge, even if there is no change to the amount.

Why is not clear, but for the first time, tenants who don’t experience a change…

Good evening

Rather disappointedly, DWP has failed, for the 8th successive year, to fulfil previous commitments of delivering a “bulk upload” solution for Universal Credit reliant tenants of Social Landlords and continues to place the onus squarely on the shoulders of tenants to report any rent changes via their

Background

We explained, in our 15th January 2019 bulletin, how DWP had introduced a “Gateway” or “barrier to entry” to Universal Credit, applying to all legacy benefit claimants who had an ongoing entitlement to the £66.95 (weekly) Severe Disability Premium (SDP) in their Income Related JSA, ESA, Income Support.…