Forum Home → Discussion → Universal credit administration → Thread
Linking rent arrears to welfare reform is ‘misleading’
A report by East Lothian Council reveals a 22 per cent increase in rent arrears among UC claimants in just three months, with the average amount owed almost £900. The report says the way the system is being managed by the DWP is causing “major concern”.
A DWP spokesperson said:
The reasons for rent arrears are complex and to link it to welfare reform is misleading.
Each and every criticism of the DWP is dismissed as ‘misleading’ or ‘out of date’. At least the latest SoS does not go out of his way to insult anyone who questions him, but the department’s robo-language remains the same. Was there no space for the ‘already transforming lives’ shtick???
I’m sure it’s a cut and paste job. Just replace “rent arrears” with “food bank use”, and we have seen the exact quote before.
Lazy work by the DWP!
I think before he left Lord Freud commissioned a piece of work to get a better understanding of the ‘claims’ of the housing sector about MASSIVE rent arrears.
The thing is, these issues are complicated. Many people are in arrears before they go onto UC, and the arrears have not been caused solely by UC.
Many of them have been caused by the other thing, he is very familiar with, the bedroom tax. Or other welfare reforms such as the Benefit Cap, ESA decision making and process. Some are simply caused by low income whilst in work, and generally difficulty navigating the benefit system during changes of circs.
The thing is UC is incontrovertibly causing increased rent arrears. If you are already at the Notice, Court, Eviction stage when you go onto UC, and enter the 7 week period, you are in serious trouble, and APA is no guarantee of your housing security because of the way it works in practice. Not to mention the other ‘issues’ that UC is throwing up ....