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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Universal credit administration  →  Thread

UC Benefit capped cases and APA to landlord

SarahJBatty
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Money Adviser, Thirteen, Middlesbrough

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Hi all,  I cant find the thread where this was discussed, and cant remember if there was a DWP ‘answer’ to this question .... can anyone advise?

Where the new lower benefit cap has been applied to a UC claim and there are housing costs, will APA to landlords to the equivalent of the housing costs element still be allowed given that this potentially leaves the claimant without enough money to live on where there are children in the household?

Daphne
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Is this the one you were thinking of Sarah - http://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/8912/#40000 - the excerpt from the DWP in answer to number 1 seems to me to be saying that they take all the deductions first and then pay what’s left to the claimant without necessarily checking if it’s enough

[ Edited: 23 Sep 2016 at 11:04 am by Daphne ]
SarahJBatty
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Money Adviser, Thirteen, Middlesbrough

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Thanks Daphne, but no there was a different discussion, it might be under HB/CTB if it started with the Benefit Cap.
I am thinking the Reg allows DWP to make payments of UC to third parties (ie APA) where it decides this is in the claimant’s and their households best interests. 
So will presumably have to weigh up whether eating or having a home is in their best interests.  I just wonder if there is a process in place for making this decision? I will ask the question.

BC Welfare Rights
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Hi Sarah

I may be wrong about this but I thought that the ‘best interest’ stuff applied to 3rd party deductions for arrears of rent/fuel etc., rather than ongoing rent payments through an APA? 

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/473329/admd2.pdf

Is this the thread you were thinking of?  http://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/8473/#38767