× Search rightsnet
Search options

Where

Benefit

Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction

From

to

Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Universal credit administration  →  Thread

‘Landlords slam ‘shambolic’ UC scheme’

Andrew Dutton
forum member

Welfare rights service - Derbyshire County Council

Send message

Total Posts: 1955

Joined: 12 October 2012

http://news.rla.org.uk/landlords-slam-shambolic-universal-credit-scheme/

‘Landlords have criticised the way the Department for Work and Pensions has handled their enquiries and say that the process for requesting direct payments from the Government is too long.’

‘The transfer from Local Housing Allowance to Universal Credit has also been slammed, with complaints about missing and delayed payments leaving tenants in arrears. In fact the problems are so extreme many landlords say they will no longer rent to any benefit claimants’

Rehousing Advice.
forum member

Homeless Unit - Southampton City Council

Send message

Total Posts: 637

Joined: 16 June 2010

You can only say it so many times.

As a nation we have become heavily dependent on using the private rented sector.

The Private rented sector is now pulling up the drawbridge on single UC claimants.

When the benefit cap impacts on the two bed + market later this year ......... we will be left with a fractured model not just in London but across large parts of the country.

Benny Fitzpatrick
forum member

Welfare Rights Officer, Southway Housing Trust, Manchester

Send message

Total Posts: 627

Joined: 2 June 2015

Andrew Dutton - 20 April 2016 11:11 AM

http://news.rla.org.uk/landlords-slam-shambolic-universal-credit-scheme/

‘In fact the problems are so extreme many landlords say they will no longer rent to any benefit claimants’

Job Done! Isn’t this the desired effect, condemning those on benefits to destitution?

SarahJBatty
forum member

Money Adviser, Thirteen, Middlesbrough

Send message

Total Posts: 345

Joined: 12 July 2012

Question for fellow advisers working for Social Landlords, is anyone having any success holding DWP to account for failure to provide the notifications of tenants claiming UC? It is supposed to be an opportunity to put advice and support in place at the earliest opportunity.  My understanding is that it is a nationwide issue that the notification letters are hit and miss with seemingly no rhyme or reason for instances when they are sent or not sent, but this is just anecdotal.  Is anyone taking this up with DWP?

Benny Fitzpatrick
forum member

Welfare Rights Officer, Southway Housing Trust, Manchester

Send message

Total Posts: 627

Joined: 2 June 2015

After a quick discussion with our rent collection team, it appears that “hit or miss” is the case here. Some notifications are received promptly, some after considerable delay, and some not at all. There also appears to be similar considerable variation in the time taken to process APAs.

We are supposed to have regular working group meetings with the regional DWP UC co-ordinators to discuss these issues, but DWP routinely cancel or postpone meetings, and when they do occur, problems are explained away as “training issues”. As might be expected, from DWP’s perspective, everything in the UC garden is rosy and going according to plan…...“on time and on budget” etc.

[ Edited: 21 Apr 2016 at 08:31 am by Benny Fitzpatrick ]
Daphne
Administrator

rightsnet writer / editor

Send message

Total Posts: 3537

Joined: 14 March 2014

For what it’s worth Sarah I’ll send it through to the UC team via stakeholders and let you know when I hear anything.

Rehousing Advice.
forum member

Homeless Unit - Southampton City Council

Send message

Total Posts: 637

Joined: 16 June 2010

My LA is hoping to be part of a social landlord awarding APA pilot.

Will let you know if it happens.

SarahJBatty
forum member

Money Adviser, Thirteen, Middlesbrough

Send message

Total Posts: 345

Joined: 12 July 2012

Yes I think we are ‘waiting to hear’ about Trusted Partner too.

‘For what it’s worth ...’ seems to be the operative phrase Daphne!  But thanks anyway.

SarahJBatty
forum member

Money Adviser, Thirteen, Middlesbrough

Send message

Total Posts: 345

Joined: 12 July 2012

Two notifications received today dated 13 April informing us that tenants went onto UC on 26 February.  Hardly an opportunity to put timely budgeting support and advice in place.

Delays are an issue as well as non-notifications as well as accuracy.

One of the cases, the letter stated date of claim 26 Feb but when I phoned the date of claim was 1 March but no explanation could be given as to the discrepancy.

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK
forum member

Information and advice resources - Age UK

Send message

Total Posts: 3196

Joined: 7 January 2016

SarahJBatty - 22 April 2016 05:32 PM

Two notifications received today dated 13 April informing us that tenants went onto UC on 26 February.  Hardly an opportunity to put timely budgeting support and advice in place.

Delays are an issue as well as non-notifications as well as accuracy.

One of the cases, the letter stated date of claim 26 Feb but when I phoned the date of claim was 1 March but no explanation could be given as to the discrepancy.

shambles.

Daphne
Administrator

rightsnet writer / editor

Send message

Total Posts: 3537

Joined: 14 March 2014

This is the response via operational stakeholders -

What is the process for notification letters being issued - automatic/manual?

The letter notifying a Registered Social Landlord of a claim to Universal Credit (UC) is referred to as UC179. This letter is a manually issued letter.

At what point are letters sent out?

This manually issued letter is issued by a member of staff at a UC service centre once a completed claim for UC is made. 

Is there any way of checking whether letters are being sent out?

UC Service Centres have undertaken checks on whether UC 179 forms are being issued.  However although forms are being issued it may not have been sent to the correct and current address for the registered landlord.

What can be done to ensure that notifications go out in 100% of cases?

As a result of the feedback from groups such as the National Housing Federation, we have recently undertaken a new design initiative to improve the process.  The new approach will involve the redesign of the form and the ability to issue this by email.  The high level design was approved recently and will be entering detailed design in early May.  We are currently working with stakeholders to identify email addresses for all Registered Landlords and Local Authority Housing sections. Once the design is in live service this will be communicated to Landlords and also to Partner managers.

[ Edited: 30 Nov 2016 at 09:30 am by shawn mach ]
SarahJBatty
forum member

Money Adviser, Thirteen, Middlesbrough

Send message

Total Posts: 345

Joined: 12 July 2012

Thank you.  Today dealt with more cases with different date of claim stated on letter to date stated by UC helpline.

Stuart
Administrator

rightsnet editor

Send message

Total Posts: 890

Joined: 21 March 2016

Daphne - 29 April 2016 03:03 PM

This is the response via operational stakeholders -

... What can be done to ensure that notifications go out in 100% of cases?

As a result of the feedback from groups such as the National Housing Federation, we have recently undertaken   a new design initiative to improve the process.  The new approach will involve the redesign of the form and the ability to issue this by email.  The high level design was   approved recently and will be entering detailed design in early May.  We are currently working with stakeholders to identify email addresses for all Registered Landlords and   Local Authority Housing sections. Once the design is in live service this will be communicated to Landlords and also to Partner managers.

Housing associations should now have been contacted by DWP asking for a dedicated UC e-mail contact for new claims notifications, and the full digital service. Deadline to get this contact information to DWP expires today.

http://www.housing.org.uk/latest-updates/dedicated-contact-details-now-needed-for-universal-credit/

 

[ Edited: 30 Nov 2016 at 09:31 am by shawn mach ]
Rehousing Advice.
forum member

Homeless Unit - Southampton City Council

Send message

Total Posts: 637

Joined: 16 June 2010

We have now reached a point, where we have examples of homeless people telling us, they want to stop their UC…. as they believe that some private landlords will only take them on if they get HB/JSA…..which does seem to confirm the original headline story that (some) landlords don’t like UC.

Andrew Dutton
forum member

Welfare rights service - Derbyshire County Council

Send message

Total Posts: 1955

Joined: 12 October 2012

Stuart
Administrator

rightsnet editor

Send message

Total Posts: 890

Joined: 21 March 2016

Stuart - 13 May 2016 10:16 AM

Housing associations should now have been contacted by DWP asking for a dedicated UC e-mail contact for new claims notifications, and the full digital service. Deadline to get this contact information to DWP expires today.

Its not too late for housing associations to get their e-mail contact details to UC to enable direct notifications of decisions - the process is due to go live from 20 June 2016.

http://www.housing.org.uk/latest-updates/universal-credit-contact-details-needed-for-email-notifications/

.

Andrew Dutton
forum member

Welfare rights service - Derbyshire County Council

Send message

Total Posts: 1955

Joined: 12 October 2012

DWP REJECTS UNIVERSAL CREDIT APA APPLICATIONS

http://news.rla.org.uk/dwp-rejects-univdit-applications/

[H]undreds of [landlords are] complaining the DWP is refusing to deal with their applications claiming they ‘could not open attachments’ and as a result is entitled to delete them.
DWP says the applications in question have either been sent to the ‘wrong’ email address or have been rejected as they included supporting evidence documents which should not have been attached.
The DWP said the non-secure system can only be used to make the initial APA application and supporting documents must be sent by post.
There are worries that DWP will not be able to ‘marry up’ electronic application s with postal details and that applications will be rejected.

Andrew Dutton
forum member

Welfare rights service - Derbyshire County Council

Send message

Total Posts: 1955

Joined: 12 October 2012

http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/policy/welfare-reform/universal-credit-pilot-council-calls-for-suspension/7017741.article

‘Universal Credit pilot council calls for suspension - The council, which has been piloting the welfare change since spring last year, said UC claims are taking longer than expected to process – “eight weeks or more” – and the consequent delayed payments mean private landlords are facing “tough decisions to start eviction processes”.’

It’s all going so well….

shawn mach
Administrator

rightsnet.org.uk

Send message

Total Posts: 3773

Joined: 14 April 2010

And, for those who don’t have access to Inside Housing -

Universal Credit pilot council calls for ‘urgent’ suspension of roll-out - publicsectorexecutive.com

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK
forum member

Information and advice resources - Age UK

Send message

Total Posts: 3196

Joined: 7 January 2016

A DWP spokesperson downplayed the importance of the letter, calling the link made by the council between rent arrears and welfare reform “misleading”.

“The reasons for rent arrears are complex and to link it to welfare reform is misleading,....lalalalalalala, fingers in my ears, I can’t hear you…....