Tenants – This is probably the second joint biggest reason why you can’t get a house and why you’re paying extortionate rents

Tenants – This is probably the second joint biggest reason why you can’t get a house and why you’re paying extortionate rents

9:44 AM, 11th October 2021, About 2 years ago 27

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Just as the Govt are pulling away your £20pw when prices have increased, Govt has pulled away £150pw which secures your home.

Direct rents payable to Landlords (where tenants may have got into money difficulties is 5% of Private Landlord tenancies). The figure before the lockdown was 7%. So, tenants, DWP Universal Credit UC are treating you even worse.

They are not following their rules to keep you safe in your home. In Council houses, that figure is around 33%. Why is that? Because Councils have their own portal with UC and can tell UC when there is a problem. Your Private Landlord however CAN’T even tell UC when he wants UC to stop paying him, as you’ve cleared your arrears up.

Another reason why the next Landlord won’t take you when you ring up asking for houses.

If the direct payments to Landlords have gone down AFTER lockdown, when we KNOW rent arrears have gone UP, this shows the DWP staff are doing a worse job than before. This should be illegal, making tenants homeless, causing Landlords Mental Health problems, and worse playing with tenants lives.

And a BIG reason why rents are rocketing and you’re wondering why so expensive. Landlords can pick & choose. If UC followed their own rules & regs & paid Landlords when you had a problem, the next Landlord would take you much easier as he knows DWP UC would work with him.

You’ve probably wondered why under the old JSA ESA Income Support Housing Benefit system, when you wanted to move, invariably you could always find a Landlord willing to take you. That’s because the old system followed the rules and TALKED to the Landlord.

You should really be pressing your MP’s on this matter because you may be blaming the Landlord without really knowing he cannot take you cause of the DWP UC system, purely on his experiences with it the last 7 years. You may be the best tenant in the world. My tenants are the best in the world, I am the biggest Benefit Landlord in Nottingham, yet I cannot and will not take any more Benefit tenants till this UC DWP system gets changed.

Ex-Secretary of State, Amber Rudd, claimed she was sympathetic to the PRS landlord’s position. She is quoted in the HOC report at the foot of page 13 where she states:

“One-third of UC claimants in social rented housing have their rent paid directly to their landlord. But in the private sector, that number is only 5%. People in the private rented sector already face a far higher risk of losing their tenancy, and I know from talking to claimants and landlords that the current system isn’t working for some of them. So, we need to make it easier for tenants in the private sector to find and keep a good home, by giving landlords greater certainty that their rent will be paid.”

https://universalcreditadvice.com/articles/why-are-private-landlords-still-being-denied-access-to-uc-direct-payments/

So tenants, next time you get refused, see if you can ask the Landlord privately why.

Unfortunately, GOVT have told Landlords we can’t refuse Benefit tenants anymore, so you may not get a straight answer, but please trust me, these are the reasons. Because the Landlords aren’t taking you any more, just before at least you knew why if they refused you.

Press Shelter for this, they have some Govt influence, but they just won’t work with us on this. My arms & ears are open to Polly Neate.


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Comments

Helen

11:52 AM, 11th October 2021, About 2 years ago

Completely agree. This is just one of the ways that the government has got no joined up thinking regarding housing policy. The fact that the latest incumbent for Housing, Michael Gove, is in charge of not just 'Housing' but other aspects of society as well - such as 'levelling up' whatever that means in Boris speak, shows that this extremely important feature of modern life is being given scant priority.

My mortgage companies won't allow me to rent to benefit claimants although it is against the law for me to refuse them. So do I commit mortgage fraud or break the law?

If the system were fairer to landlords (and therefore also help tenants) then mortgage companies wouldn't see benefit claimants as such a risk.

Dylan Morris

12:00 PM, 11th October 2021, About 2 years ago

Got a tenant who put in a claim for UC early August lost his job I think around May but communication with me is very poor. Now seven months arrears accrued. Filled in form UC47 end of August to have rent paid direct to me. Heard nothing apart from being sent up as a “third party supplier” and being given a reference number. Had a few phone calls to UC and they cannot tell me anything whatsoever just say refer to your tenant. So I’m just sitting wondering when and if I’ll receive any rent. They wouldn’t even confirm if his claim was still live. (Tenant on drugs and any rent benefit paid directly to him will simply go on more substances. I haven’t disclosed the drug issue to UC due to data privacy but told them in no uncertain terms not to pay tenant to send rent direct to me).
This is my first experience with UC and I’m not very impressed.

BobG

12:32 PM, 11th October 2021, About 2 years ago

Hi - yes similar situation, bought a property with tenant in situ and they stopped paying rent immediately, but were still receiving benefits. They owe £7500 - Council said they could not pay Landlord direct as tenant did not have mental health issues. Finally filled in form for UC and OK for three months then tenants did something and now gone back to being paid to them. So I have a successful eviction notice, tenants and children lose their home and council have to pay to re house them. How does that make sense. Landlords have to have a system that guarantees the rent but it also makes sense for Councils who do not have the properties to re house them.

Rob Crawford

12:42 PM, 11th October 2021, About 2 years ago

Not sure I agree with all of this. If you are unemployed I believe UC should be as such to act as an incentive to get a job. Since brexit, the jobs are there. For those who need UC as a top up or for other reasons I agree with most of it.

BobG

13:04 PM, 11th October 2021, About 2 years ago

I also agree with UC in principle and have a number of tenants on it. The problem is when the tenant is more than two months in arrears the old system was the Landlord got paid direct. Not paying the Landlord direct means the tenant gets the housing benefit as well as other benefits but doesn't use it to pay the rent.

Clint

14:50 PM, 11th October 2021, About 2 years ago

Mick, we have both written a lot on this in the past but your timing of this post coincides with my tenant scamming me once again this time for three months rent. This tenant who I took in 2017 fell into arrears towards the beginning of her tenancy and after she owed me two months rent, I managed to get payments directly to me from UC.

Following the above in around March 2020, the tenant asked for the rent to be paid to her account and I lost two months rent there however, did not evict her at that point due to the Covid restrictions that came into force and the hassle of it all.

More recently, she did the same thing again and I have so far lost three months rent and I am hoping that I get the payment for October 2021. I spoke to UC twice regarding this and they assured me that I would be getting the next payment made to me which I hope to be the case as, I never trust what UC say.

Note all this has happened although, in 2020 they assured me this would not happen again. When I called them again this time, they arranged on two occasions for the case manager to phone me to explain what had gone wrong. So far, although I was informed that I would hear from the case manager by 6 pm the next day on both occasions, I have not heard anything.

It was only yesterday, that I served the tenant with a section 8 notice (I will also be serving her a section 21 notice) of which I doubt she is bothered as she knows, that she will be there for a long time and when she is actually evicted, the council will provide her with accommodation..

I have in the past complained to UC following all the procedures and have had no response. I have also complained to my MP on several occasions where he has acted but nothing has actually happened.

NewYorkie

15:35 PM, 11th October 2021, About 2 years ago

Excellent summary.

The money is there because it's being paid to tenants, who in return either won't pay their landlord, or are simply incapable of managing their own affairs. The DWP should not find it difficult to simply pay the landlord direct (I know how their IT systems work!) but their processes are poor and priorities wrong.

Mick Roberts

16:03 PM, 11th October 2021, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by at 11/10/2021 - 11:52
Exactly Helen,
If the system was fairer (to tenants), we'd take 'em all.

Mick Roberts

16:03 PM, 11th October 2021, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Dylan Morris at 11/10/2021 - 12:00
Yes Dylan the 5% above speaks for itself. UC reply all the time from the top to the bottom is
The Onus is on the tenant.

Mick Roberts

16:04 PM, 11th October 2021, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Rob Crawford at 11/10/2021 - 12:42Be nice Rob in ideal world. There is loads of jobs there, however I believe we should still have safety net for peoples food gas elec Shelter (house). Cause some tenant's won't work (wrong I know) some can't work. I can take u to many of mine no disabled no DLA etc. But u wun't employ 'em Niceist word is Thick as FXXX.

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