Who is banging their head against a wall with Universal Credit?

I am the Chair of the Eastern Landlord Association, with some 1400 members. Universal credit was introduced in Gt Yarmouth last April and has been disastrous. ELA landlords are refusing to take any such claimant, the council arrears have risen by £86k and the number of homeless has increased across the borough. The use of the local food bank has increased by 33%.
The local MP, Brandon Lewis, refuses to meet with either the public or ELA members to discuss. Current waiting times are 10-12 weeks and as the article states, DWP will not speak with landlords. I now serve a Section 21 Notice on any tenant who is switched from HB to UC.
Scotland has recognised the problem and now pay fortnightly and will pay landlords direct at the tenants request.
This is a huge threat to landlords and undoubtedly those with small portfolios will not survive.
DWP refuse to accept there is a problem and until they do this situation will continue.

That is a great recommendation Mick, thank you for sharing it with us all. I have looked at Carridon's website and the service they offer does sound good, but getting a personal recommendation based on actual experience of them makes it so much more credible.

Fortunately my single tenants are in supported housing so are exempt from having to claim UC altogether, or if they are already on UC when they move in, then the housing costs are still dealt with by the Housing Benefit Dept (so long as it is spelt out to them that this should be the case because of the supported accommodation exemption). However, as and when UC is rolled out to other tenants (families), then I envisage far more complications and I will certainly consider using Carridon to assist in such cases.

Dealing with UC is a nightmare, as you say Mick, they ignore any contact from landlords, and won't accept any information or documentation sent to them by email (even ignoring the UC47 non-secure forms sent to them, i.e. the forms designed for landlords to send electronically requesting an "alternative payment arrangement").

Brilliant figures Paul. Nice & simple to digest. Shame the Govt don't get it.

Yes Rob, I got confused on the UC47 forms, fill one in, can email it, but not post that one? Eh?
The other one, can't email, can post?
Gees, just give me one arrears form please.

I too am struggling with UC. It's rolled out fully in my local council now so all new claims are UC.

So far I've been with my tenants to 5 Universal Credit meetings at the Job Centre, to try to make sure it goes through smoothly, but it's an up hill struggle at every turn.

I have finally got some traction on a UC47 Managed Payment / Rent Arrears application. I emailed off the correct form, and posted the appropriate corroboratory evidence, then heard nothing for over 2 months. All my chasing emails (a modest 1 every 2 weeks) were ignored and unanswered. Finally I've had an email from someone saying they've setup direct payment, but apparently they've been paying the tenant direct in the mean time, despite me asking them to suspend payment of the housing element until the UC47 was processed.

The local Housing Solutions team are having no joy either, they've told me: "Information only ever flows 1 way, into the UC black hole." They put in a Managed Payment application on my behalf at the beginning of Jan for another tenant, using the secure email version of the UC47, but they also have heard nothing, and the tenant was paid direct 10 days ago irrespective. Fortunately I caught him on the day of payment and we went to the bank together to get it transferred.

I now have a another tenant going through it, he went "on the sick" but rather than be put on ESA, he had to do a UC claim and he's NOT happy about it. Me either; I told him last year to do everything he could to stay off UC. He's seriously told me he'd be better off going back to prison than having to jump through the UC hoops!

Since UC started affecting my tenants just 4 months ago, the tenants affected have run up about £3,000 in new rent arrears, all down to UC! One I've evicted already, because his attitude was: "UC is your problem, not mine."

Colin McNulty recently posted...It is Impossible to Live Without Failing

Reply to the comment left by "Colin McNulty" at "20/02/2017 - 09:04":

Hi, as my profile says, I am a Team Leader processing Universal Credit claims at Canterbury Service centre. I can't enter into discussions about named tenants (I'd be sacked!) but am able to give advice on 'scenarios' (if you get my drift). I am no expert but my team are! Although based in Kent we deal with other areas of the country at present. Please get in touch if I can help in any way, I really feel for you

Hi Sharon, you're a very welcome here. 🙂 And well done on your plans to become a landlady.

From your profile, what's the difference between "Universal Credit Full Service (as distinct from ‘live’ service)"?

What applications do your team process? Is it the initial setup, or do you get involved in Alternative Payment Arrangements too?

Thanks, Colin

Reply to the comment left by "SHARON MOXON" at "08/03/2017 - 20:01":

Hi Sharon

Welcome to the site, and I think you are very brave in putting yourself forward as someone who can advise on and help resolve some of the numerous problems that landlords are facing when dealing with UC.

Could you perhap advise us why we can email scanned documents to the DWP and have them accepted, e.g. signed authorisations, tenancy agreements, Third Party Payment requests, etc, and yet Universal Credit refuse to accept any of these? (If data protection was really the reason, then the other DWP departments would not be able to accept anything by email either, so data protection excuses are BS).

When I send UC47 forms to the UC "non-secure" email address, I never (not even once) get an acknowledgement or reply from a person. Is there a reason why UC refuse to liaise with landlords? (and again, data protection is not an excuse because I send a signed authorisation from the tenant).

Hi, I've been a member here for a year or 2 (aspiring to be a landlord) but was browsing last night as last time I looked there was very little on the site regarding Universal Credit (UC), which I found surprising.
I know the site does not permit direct contact between us and it is more than my job is worth to openly comment about specific cases but I can certainly help with general information and scenarios.
To explain, Team leaders are 'hands on' with our staff but they (called Case Managers, CM for short) are actually the experts so they have knowledge & some authority/autonomy, I have less knowledge/more authority & so on up the chain.
Leave your enquiries with me and I'll ask the relevant questions and come back to you regarding the forms, e mails etc, but the answer will actually be a version of 'those are the rules'! Also, DWP will rely on DPA as all internal communications are via a 'gsi' e mail address. Info permitted to be sent 'outside gsi' is extremely limited and unlikely to widen in the near future.
If you consider the Government's steer/wish/aspiration (you can choose) around UC, it is about claimants driving the claims & not DWP. Therefore, there is an expectation that the claimant will deal with everything and I honestly don't think UC planners anticipated the level of complexity of the housing journey to some claimants. It is an 'Agile' system that is not fully formed so there is every reason to believe that it will improve-change happens very rapidly.
The housing journey is actually under close scrutiny and I would encourage you (and others) to take the opportunity to comment on the UC & Benefit Cap Enquiries (time running out) being carried out by the Work & Pensions select Committee. Larger Social Landlords are already involved in giving evidence to the Public Accounts Committee UC reviews & make interesting reading if you can spare the time.
I don't know whether I'm allowed to post direct links but you will find these on http://www.parliament.uk
I guess I may be considered 'brave' but I consider that I have integrity and open-ness in my life, including at work. This is my 'view from the bridge' of how it really is, without divulging anything I'm not allowed to. DWP does run events for Landlords in every area where UC Full Service rolls out but the take up is low to non-existent. Our office does have the 'ear' of someone involved in this and also in the events, so I wonder if, for example, they are advertising events in the right places or holding them at convenient times-maybe you could let me know on that and I will gladly pass it on.

Reply to the comment left by "Colin McNulty" at "09/03/2017 - 09:53":

Hi Colin, UC was originally trialled as 2 versions, LIVE & DIGITAL. Live areas still exist but the full UC model is now for UC FULL SERVICE (UCFS) the amended name for Digital. The major distinction is that UCFS operates with the claimant driving everything. They apply online, wherever suits them, they log into the claim themselves, report changes online and have a 'journal' as a messaging service between themselves and either the Jobcentre or Service centre.

Case Managers (CM) are allocated new claims every day as they appear on the 'platform' (ie as soon as the claim is made) and they look after that claim from there onwards. Obviously, internal arrangements mean that the allocated Cm may change over time but there is always a CM allocated to each claimant. CM typically have a caseload of 200 claims upwards but there is no set amount at present.

CM are fully involved in APA for both Social & Private Landlords and are authorised to make decisions on these.
Hope that helps and also please see my reply to Robert Mellors