Can UC take on board Local Council advice?

Can UC take on board Local Council advice?

9:25 AM, 13th August 2020, About 4 years ago 8

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Does anyone know for sure if Universal Credit (UC) are obligated to take on board information given to them by a Local Council (LC) in regard to a client?

I deal with challenging tenants and the LC knows this well. They ‘help’ the LL as best they can BUT they know themselves the tenant can change to receiving their rent direct at the drop of a hat.

I always set up a direct Landlord payment (online UC47) highlighting in the main the first tier reasons why this is the case. Direct payment to Landlord is written in the Tenancy Contract that this is expected also.

Would a letter from the LC who know the client’s background and are happy to state they think the Landlord should be paid directly for the term of the tenancy (stating it is in the clients best interests) to attach to the claim be looked at in light of further evidence why the tenant should NOT ever be paid directly?

I keep getting shafted by UC who are agreeing to pay the tenant direct as and when they ask for a direct payment even though I have told them there are known drug addicts/drinkers etc.

Just had another request from LC to house another such client. Total Landlord ar$e covering is becoming key so any advice is welcome.

Reluctant Landlord


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Comments

John Dace

12:35 PM, 13th August 2020, About 4 years ago

My advice.... stop dealing with ‘challenging’ tenants - let the Gov realise why no-one will touch them - then (and only then) will they change the sytem.

Peter Lassman

12:35 PM, 13th August 2020, About 4 years ago

I am aLandlord myself and understand your concerns My sister received a call from the council Very Late at night last New Years Eve asking her to take on a tenant implying they would pay her direct and set it all up First thing in the New Year and that it would be in an email to her, The tenant moved in and she has only ever received One months rent, when she called them They said it’s now between her and Universal Credits or the unemployed people, she only ever received One months rent since then, the tenant told her to F off and he continues to claim the rent and other benefits direct, no one in the council will help her, COVID set in and she became stuck with him as all Courts were suspending evictions claims, now the court process has started she has been told it will beat least another 3 months before she can get him out if he refuses to go until the Bailiffs can be sent in, He advertises on SM and in adverts and works full time as a roofer, he claims the full rent allowance and other money and still works, my sister told the UC and unemployment departments this and they told her there is nothing they can do as they are short staffed, how pathetic is that, so she will be out of pocket about £6000 in rent when she eventually gets him out, when she Tries to talk to him about If he calls her the C word and everything else and tells her to F off saying there is nothing she can do about it and laughs in her face, he sends her abusive threatening txts which she showed the Pllice and they told her it’s Civil matter until he assaults her, her Solicitor said he Is sorry but he’s following the Law and is frustrated himself, any one have any advice I can give her Peter Lasssman peterlassman818@hotmail.com thank you 😎

J CHAPMAN

16:00 PM, 13th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Peter Lassman at 13/08/2020 - 12:35
Forgive me if I misunderstand your sister's situation but has she not claimed direct payment of rent using form UC47? The Council will not help her, she has to deal with DWP. Once the tenant is 2 months in arrears she can claim direct rental payments, she can also claim a proportion of his other benefits to go towards his rent arrears. I have done this with a none paying UC tenant, as soon as they were paying me direct he moved of his own accord.

Anne Nixon

19:31 PM, 13th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by J CHAPMAN at 13/08/2020 - 16:00
Do you know whether there is any way of reclaiming unpaid rent after the tenant has moved out of the property?
My tenant moved out at the 10 weeks in arrears point before I had received any rent, despite me having completed the UC47 at 8 weeks arrears (and 9 weeks and 10 weeks).
It seems to me the system is fundamentally flawed if a tenant can just decide not to pay rent and to keep the money for themselves with no repercussions and no way of reclaiming it.

J CHAPMAN

21:50 PM, 13th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Anne Nixon at 13/08/2020 - 19:31
Exactly the same thing happened to me. There is no way to claim rent arrears once they have left the property unless you instigate civil proceedings, which in my experience, is throwing good money after bad. I was just thankful that I got my property back without having to go through the eviction process.Yes, the process is fundamentally flawed, but be thankful that they have gone without having to evict them. My last eviction took 11 months, 14 months in total without rent.

Peter Lassman

8:44 AM, 14th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Totally agree With you John, the Government have created the system and problem with rent arrears by not paying the rent direct and they will have. bigger problems as more and more private landlords refuse to take in these tenants and the tenants exasperate the problem with their lack of respect and their attitude towards the properties they reside in, until the tenant respects where they live the situation will only get worse

Mick Roberts

9:01 AM, 14th August 2020, About 4 years ago

No,

UC don't get any info from councils.

UC can tell Councils to stop a HB claim & if it's wrong, the Council then have no way of telling UC it is wrong.
UC dictate, but have no ears to listen the other way. It's disgusting.
Councils are even frustrated that they cannot solve anything with UC.

UC need to open up email access for us Landlords & Councils, otherwise the homeless will keep spiralling & more Landlords won't take UC.

Michael Holmes

21:18 PM, 17th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Nothing works any more in this country, Haven’t you noticed yet? Boatloads of illegal immigrants, complete Covid Chaos, BLM demos, statues being torn down. Landlords being pilloried left right and centre. Local Councils inept, understaffed apparently!!! Council Tax departments not fit for purpose. Nobody with any sense should get involved with UC benefit tenants . I have no sympathy with anybody who gets burned by the system. It has been specifically organised that way, please wise up.

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