Good morning, For some time now, Social landlords have been complaining bitterly about the poor quality of communications from DWP. Receiving award letters, in relation to their tenants’ claims, should be automatic and relaible. At present, it is anything but. DWP, in an attempt to address those concerns and improve…

Good morning, You will recall, I wrote to you http://www.universalcreditadvice.com/housing-associations/2016/05/universal-credit—dwp-deadline-extended-for-your-dedicated-e-mail-address explaining DWP’s plans to implement a new e-mail procedure, designed to improve the speed and reliability of the 7 day “Notification letter of an award of Universal Credit”. This positive change was introduced, due to social landlord demands for improvements…

Good morning, One of my Housing Association clients recently received a £14,000 housing benefit overpayment demand. I was asked to intervene, and after one e-mail, the council accepted my clients should never have been invoiced in the first place. However, they then turned their attention to the tenant, a 55…

Good morning, DWP plan to press ahead with its “digital system” roll-out from May 2016 with 50 new Jobcentre areas per month being added from January 2017. The digital system removes the “gateway” conditions which have so far limited claims (225,000) to mainly single claimants, so the number and type…

Good morning, I recently responded to a question, posed by a website member on our “discussion forum”, which concerns the amount of “Third Party Deductions” (TPDs) that can be deducted in respect of rent arrears and whether, in cases of multiple deductions, where there exists related concerns over tenant hardship…

Good afternoon, The “Independent” ran an article the other day “The Government’s Universal Credit welfare reform has serious flaws” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/universal-credit-welfare-reform-has-serious-flaws-a7011206.html, which attracted considerable social media attention and comment. It’s perhaps unsurprising, given it highlighted the individual and mass effect of HMG, through George Osborne, reducing and withdrawing “work allowances” especially for…

Good morning, A number of housing association & private members have contacted me, extremely concerned about the potential impact on revenues, created by the series of planned changes to Housing Benefit and Universal Credit, announced in the Chancellor’s summer & autumn budgets. Although, in many instances, we’re still awaiting much…

Good morning, You’ll recall I wrote to you on 30th November to highlight George Osborne’s Autumn Statement announcement to Parliament which included: “Capping Housing Benefit in the social rented sector – The government will apply the relevant Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates as maxima for Housing Benefit paid in the…

Good morning, Our 30th July bulletin http://universalcreditadvice.com/housing-associations/2016/07/universal-credit—how-to-pursue-queries-complaints explained how you could raise queries and make complaints to DWP, concerning Universal Credit administration processes, where problems of delays or non-payment of Landlord Managed Payments (LMPs) or Third Party Payments (collectively known as APAs) occur. We continue to press DWP hierarchy to…

Good morning, DWP has recently produced a revised version of its Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) Guidance Manual, which includes a Good Practice section and can be found here. The latest version reflects guidance which is designed to address the likely impact of the summer & autumn benefit changes, proposed by…