Universal Credit update and direct payment

Universal Credit update and direct payment

8:28 AM, 22nd March 2018, About 6 years ago 29

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If you wish for your tenants Housing Cost Element (Rent) to be paid direct to you, as a Landlord you can make a request for a Managed Payment (APA) by completing a UC47 form, this form can be found on Gov.uk.

This form has recently been updated on 21/03/18 and the wording to support the Creditor Reference Number and the Tenant Reference Number has been amended to make it clearer for landlords to provide the necessary information needed to improve the APA process.

In addition the process and UC47 have been updated to ensure that the correct form is completed and directed to the right Service Centre for processing.

Further information about the APA process can be found in section 8 of the Universal Credit and rented housing: guide for landlords

We recently informed you on the updates of Transition to Universal Credit from Housing Benefit  which was announced in the Autumn budget, this has now been confirmed and as

of 11 April 2018 a two week Transition to Universal Credit Housing Payment will be awarded to Housing Benefit (HB) claimants who naturally migrate to Universal Credit (UC) by awarding an additional two weeks HB entitlement from the start date of the UC claim.

Universal Credit is a passported benefit for Housing Benefit, the Transition to Universal Credit Housing Payment will be two weeks of Housing Benefit entitlement based on the claimant’s new circumstances of receiving Universal Credit. The landlord will receive the claimants eligible rent minus any deductions such as overpayment recovery or non-dependant deductions

for the two week payment this payment will be administered by Local Authorities.

This payment will not require any additional intervention from the claimant (unless they have a change of circumstance such as moving address, in which case they would need to inform their local authority).

The Housing Benefit transition payment will be paid directly to the person usually receiving the payment, for example if the claimant is in receipt of  the Housing Benefit payment they will receive the transition payment to either credit their rent account, or to use for daily living expenses or to live off until they receive their  first Universal Credit Payment.

If the landlord is in receipt of the Housing Benefit payment and receives the transition payment it must be allocated to the tenants rent account to clear any assisting arrears or to put the account in Credit

If a change of address has prompted the new UC claim, the Transition to UC Housing payment will always be paid directly to the claimant.

For assistance on more complex cases on Universal Credit or Housing Benefit please contact us using the form below and we will assist you in resolving your issue.

Contact Sherrelle for offline Universal Credit advice

Sherrelle is an independent consultant and is recommended by Property118 for landlords who require professional advice and assistance in regards to dealing with Universal credit related matters


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Comments

Robert M

13:53 PM, 13th April 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by CARIDON LANDLORD SOLUTIONS at 11/04/2018 - 14:57
Hi Sherelle

So as private landlords cannot get a government email account, then basically, the UC teams are saying that no matter how encrypted or secure the communication method is, they will not under any circumstances accept electronic communications (or attached documentation) from private landlords???? - This then is therefore clearly not about data protection at all, it is very much about making it impossible or as difficult as possible for private landlords to contact UC teams to progress the UC47 claims.

This is clear discrimination against private landlords. It is also possibly unlawful discrimination against disabled and vulnerable tenants, e.g. tenants with mental health problems, or learning difficulties, lack of comprehension, or brain damage/disease, etc, may be unable to deal with their UC claims (indeed, the DWP disability benefits: DLA/PIP, recognise that some claimants are unable to deal with correspondence, make phone calls, use internet, speak to strangers (e.g. DWP officials), etc, and this can be a disability in itself). - How can the UC Teams justify this (probably unlawful) discrimination?

To avoid unlawful discrimination, surely the DWP have to properly investigate whether ProtonMail (or any other encrypted email systems) are "secure", and fully explain their reasoning for refusing to accept the validity of the security?

CARIDON LANDLORD SOLUTIONS

13:58 PM, 13th April 2018, About 6 years ago

Dear Rob,
Do you mind if I forward your comments to DWP?

Robert M

15:39 PM, 13th April 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by CARIDON LANDLORD SOLUTIONS at 13/04/2018 - 13:58
Hi Sherelle

You are welcome to forward my comments to the DWP.

Do you have a government issued secure email system? How do you get the UC Teams to accept electronic correspondence from yourselves??? (or do you post everything to them by massively un-secure Royal Mail?)

CARIDON LANDLORD SOLUTIONS

13:36 PM, 16th April 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Robert Mellors at 13/04/2018 - 15:39
Dear Robert,
I have forwarded your email to Universal Credit and have been advised that they are looking into your comments.

Mick Roberts

8:05 AM, 21st April 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by CARIDON LANDLORD SOLUTIONS at 11/04/2018 - 14:57
Pathetic isn't it.
I'm 2018, Landlords can no longer email about their tenants.
Let's just make it harder for the Landlord and bring eviction closer for the tenant

Mick Roberts

8:09 AM, 21st April 2018, About 6 years ago

Ha ha and I see Rob saying the same And I was about to say please pursue a complaint Rob.
I'm holiday on my phone clearing emails up hence the delay. And also why I can't see all comments at same time on little screen.
But yes please do Sherrelle forward always forward mine and Robs comments. It took about 5 years for LHA local HB staff to finally realise Hang on this direct payment in't working. And they made it much easier in 2012ish. UC are bonkers to ignore what HB went through which is effectively the same situation.

CARIDON LANDLORD SOLUTIONS

16:37 PM, 23rd April 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by CARIDON LANDLORD SOLUTIONS at 16/04/2018 - 13:36
I have forwarded your comments and received the following response:
We do not accept Proton Mail as secure email addresses. We only accept those with email addresses containing gsi, .gsx, .gcsx,.cjx, .cjsm, .gse as secure.

However, with the introduction of the new online form we will no longer have such issues.

Robert M

17:55 PM, 23rd April 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by CARIDON LANDLORD SOLUTIONS at 23/04/2018 - 16:37
The DWP/UC Team's comments do not address the points raised at all. How does having an online form enable landlords to send in a copy of the tenancy agreement, or form of authorisation? How does having an online form enable disabled people, or people acting on their behalf, to correspond with the UC Team, or chase up UC47 decisions etc? This is a BS standard response from the DWP, and it is still unlawful discrimination.

Jay James

18:50 PM, 23rd April 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by CARIDON LANDLORD SOLUTIONS at 23/04/2018 - 16:37"However, with the introduction of the new online form we will no longer have such issues." I assume this is a quote from DWP.
I suggest this is not correct because it does not leave senders with their own record of what the sender said. Rather it leaves them with either no record or at best a DWP generated record of what the sender said.

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