Good Afternoon

Neil Couling, DWP’s most senior director, announced yesterday, the launch of the online Alternative Payment Arrangement (APA) scheme, the link to which can be found here

As I’ve mentioned before, the online system was being tested by a number of my PRS clients, in various parts of…

Good afternoon

Perhaps unsurprisingly, two of the most common questions I’m asked by PRS landlords and agents are:

How can I secure the “housing costs element” (HCE) of Universal Credit direct to me; and Does the tenant have to provide their consent before DWP will act on my request?

To…

Good evening

As you may already know, DWP has effectively suspended Third Party Deductions, including amounts for rent arrears, service charges, fuel debts etc. for 1 month, running from 10th April to 10th May, at which point, they should automatically resume, without any effort on the part of tenants or landlords.

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Good afternoon 

I recently represented a Housing Cooperative in a dispute over a £45,000 Housing Benefit Overpayment. The Co-op and its elderly tenants had appealed the Council decision to hold them responsible for the sum, to a First-tier Tribunal. A hearing was held but had to be adjourned because the Judge…

Good morning

DWP’s Director General, Neil Couling, was reported last week, as stating – “Many confused families will receive less than they had hoped for from Universal Credit, certainly in their first payment” – due to the fact, when calculating Universal Credit most forms of earned income (e.g. wages, statutory…

Good afternoon

The Department of Work & Pensions Minister The Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey MP issued a statement yesterday, after the department, local MPs, MSPs and the media had been inundated with a deluge of complaints from claimants, who had lodged online claims, but then had waited literally…

Hi

I was asked to intervene yesterday, in yet another DWP Overpayment of Universal Credit demand, where DWP had decided to pursue my landlord client, on the basis:

“As the tenant’s landlord, you received the monthly housing costs, on his behalf, and so could reasonably have known of the tenant’s…

Good morning

If you’re a Private Sector Landlord or Letting Agent, ordinarily providing accommodation to tenants claiming Housing Benefit or Universal Credit schemes you should be aware that from 1st April 2020 the Local Housing Allowance rates have now been published incorporating the Government commitment to pay at the 30th…

Hi

I watched the Work & Pensions Committee this morning hoping to pick up the latest news on Coronavirus and the measures being put in place to assist those affected by the pandemic. In attendance was the latest Secretary of State Dr Theresa Coffey, and her Permanent Secretary answering questions…

Hi Everyone

I hope you’re all well and coping with all the chaos around us.

DWP has just announced that it intends to suspend all planned reviews and reassessments of claims for the next three months, mainly to allow its staff to cope with the deluge of claims and…