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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Universal credit administration  →  Thread

Proving housing costs for UC - tenancy agreements

geep
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WRO, housing management, Notting Hill Housing

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Total Posts: 181

Joined: 24 October 2013

I recently read a memo or something which the said the DWP was aware of the problem with job centres insisting on new tenancy agreements for verifying rent liability/ housing costs for UC. The problem is I can’t find it now. Landlords are not going to issue new tenancy agreements for UC claims, so should they just be providing recent rent statements or a letter confirming that the claimant is still a tenant along with a breakdown of the current gross rent?

Ideally I’d like some DWP guidance that I can quote to show job centre staff that they shouldn’t be insisting on new tenancy agreements, but I’m not sure if that guidance exists yet.

nevip
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Welfare rights adviser - Sefton Council, Liverpool

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Joined: 16 June 2010

Found this.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/526582/universal-credit-and-rented-housing-faq.pdf

You also might want to point out to them that it is well established law that a lease of less than three years doesn’t even have to be in writing.

robverco
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Welfare Benefits Officer, Wandle Housing

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Joined: 3 September 2014

Providing the latest rent review letter along with the tenancy agreement has worked so far.