Welfare Reform Week – Your chance to feedback to DWP on Universal Credit
9 years ago | 9 comments
Live Universal Credit horror case study
4:07 PM, 28th September 2017, 9 years ago
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Today we have taken on the following case:
In March the landlord granted a Tenancy to a tenant who informed him she was on Universal Credit. Unsure of the new scheme and not swayed by the bad press the optimistic landlord decided to give it a go.
The landlord was informed by the tenant that he had completed his change in circumstances via his online journal and had an appointment at the Jobcentre to verify his Tenancy by providing his Tenancy Agreement. When he attended this appointment he informed the landlord.
The landlord was unconcerned whether he received direct payment and therefore never completed the UC47 which is the form that DWP requires landlords to complete if the tenant is in rent arrears of 8 weeks or more and to request direct payment if the tenant fits into a their group set out by DWP.
A few weeks had passed and the landlord had not received any payments from the tenant, but as he had heard of the delays in DWP processing Universal Credit payments he assumed that there was a delay in the claim being set up.
Two months on and the landlord has still had not received a payment so he contacted the tenant who then contacted DWP and was told that the landlord had received the payment. Baffled by this claim the landlord went on a mission and contacted his bank who confirmed no payment had been made to him.
The tenant booked an appointment at the Jobcentre to get to the bottom of the situation and to his horror he was informed that a huge error had been made and the payment had been paid to his previous landlord. His work coach had assured him that the matter would be dealt with and that the payment would be recovered from his previous landlord.
A month later the tenant received the Housing Cost payment and forwarded the payment to his landlord. However, the tenant has now incurred rent arrears and the DWP six months later have failed to recover the payment that was sent to the previous landlord.
The landlord has contacted us today and we have contacted DWP and await their response.
We will update you with the progress on this case.
If you have a case like this please feel free to contact us where a member of our experienced team will be happy to assist.
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Member Since October 2013 - Comments: 1308 - Articles: 10
1:43 PM, 29th September 2017, About 9 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Sherrelle Collman at 29/09/2017 – 13:24
Yes, we do have outstanding cases, but as we are getting HB for the rent, it is only £3 – £5 pw service charge, plus a payment off arrears, that we are requesting from the DWP/UC. Our tenants often have support needs due to physical or mental health or addiction issues, and often get sanctioned, or end up having to change to ESA.
Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 3246 - Articles: 81
1:56 PM, 29th September 2017, About 9 years ago
Yes Rob, statistics are shocking aren’t they.
I’ve had 3 cases UC so far, as we know single people getting it first if break in their claim.
100% of cases, I’ve not been paid as normal.
Eventually got paid.
Only got paid on the second one ’cause Sherrelle & Caridon got involved.
And my last case still not done.
Now if that is ALL families soon, can a business survive with NO ZERO ZILCH income? But lenders still requiring their mortgage money?
Member Since October 2013 - Comments: 1308 - Articles: 10
2:39 PM, 29th September 2017, About 9 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 29/09/2017 – 13:56
If it was a case of me needing the main rent payment from UC, then I could not continue in business, but the way I have structured my company is that in most instances we still get HB, so it is only the ineligible service charges that we need the tenant themselves to pay for, and this is collected via third party deductions for JSA/ESA/IS claimants, but this is proving virtually impossible for us to do with UC.
Member Since January 2017 - Comments: 146 - Articles: 97
4:16 PM, 29th September 2017, About 9 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Robert Mellors at 29/09/2017 – 14:39
Dear Robert
Do you have a DWP creditor reference number?
If so have you tried contact the dedicated number for Third Party Deductions?
Give me a call if you need assistance.
Happy to help.
Member Since January 2017 - Comments: 146 - Articles: 97
4:18 PM, 29th September 2017, About 9 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 29/09/2017 – 13:56
Mick as you know Caridon Landlord Solutions are always happy to assist.
Let me know how you are getting on with your unresolved case.
Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 3246 - Articles: 81
5:53 PM, 29th September 2017, About 9 years ago
Yes I will be coming to u Sherrelle, if we don’t solve.
I han’t asked for the comments from the other thread where I put my log on if anyone knows the link.
I’d like to start debate on the thing where man gets paid end of August (last wage for the job), UC say no payment end of September cause wages ONE WHOLE MONTH AGO. Whereas I u the whole planet knows, wages get paid for the month before.
So man gets his £870 wages, pays his bills, hopes to get his UC next month to pay next months rent, food etc. & voila, UC say no your last months wages is expected to last u this next month too, so effectively 2 months.
That cannot be right surely.
Member Since October 2013 - Comments: 1308 - Articles: 10
6:07 PM, 29th September 2017, About 9 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Sherrelle Collman at 29/09/2017 – 16:16
Hi Sherelle
Yes we have a DWP creditor reference number.
We don’t have any phone number for any dedicated third party deduction team within UC. If we contact the JSA/ESA Third Party Deduction team they cannot deal with it as it is UC, and as already stated UC won’t talk to us, won’t accept emails from us, won’t accept information by post from us. If you have the phone number or an email address for someone at UC who is willing and able to talk or correspond with us please do let us have those contact details.
Thank you for the offer of assistance, but I understand that you charge for your services (I’ve nothing against that), but when it is such a small weekly amount that we are needing deductions for, the cost of your service outweighs the potential benefit of the assistance. This would be different if we were talking about larger sums, but I am usually asking UC for around £7 pw (inc’ the deduction for rent arrears).
Member Since January 2017 - Comments: 146 - Articles: 97
6:07 PM, 29th September 2017, About 9 years ago
Mick,
They were just speaking about Universal Credit rollout on LBC. I just spoke about the challenges faced with the new system
Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 582
11:13 PM, 21st October 2017, About 8 years ago
My experience when my 1st tenant transferred from LHA to UC
.
1) £606 LHA direct to my account for 2 years . Worked well
2) No one tells me shes gone on to UC . LHA just cancelled
3) No payment for 3 months
4) Payment eventually goes to her – a dysfunctional alcoholic
5) Spends it on drink ,loses her kids ,get arrested ,more drink
6) Sec 21 – possession gained – she dosses down at friend
7) Place cleaned up rented to a worker – Rent paid again
No more UC tenants for me as a result because the government refuses to work with me in transition but actively and proactively works against me
The flawed roll out meant no one bothered to tell me, the extended family , social services or the support worker that she was going onto UC . They just inflicted it on a vulnerable person They want to give her autonomy but wont give them the autonomy to decide who the rent gets paid to .
If you suddenly give a recovering alcoholic £606 which they ask not to be paid to them as they recognise their own vulnerability then all potential fears could be realised .
And they were and everyone suffers
The government have set her up to fail and that is exactly what happened .They have a duty of care and they failed spectacularly in my book…
Its criminal neglect
Member Since May 2015 - Comments: 2197 - Articles: 2
11:12 AM, 22nd October 2017, About 8 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Jonathan Clarke at 21/10/2017 – 23:13
Your comment mirrors my experience. I have five tenants on UC, all were transferred without my knowledge and all initially received the housing payment, one brought a nice new (to him) car and is now three months in arrears. The others are between one and two months in arrears with no prospect of ever repaying the money. Although I now receive direct payment for all five they have all been issued with S21 or S8 and very soon they will be leaving to be replaced by working tenants.
The government is setting all, landlords and tenants, up to fail in a social experiment which is itself continually failing but is spun to succeed.