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DWP to fix rent change process for Universal Credit claimants
Ministers have agreed to amend the way rent changes for social tenants claiming Universal Credit are processed, easing the administrative burden for landlords.
Previously, individual tenants had to declare in their online Universal Credit journals when their rent and service charges changed, with landlords then required to verify each update through the landlord portal.
Social landlords had complained that this system meant tenants could be paid the wrong amount if they forgot to enter rent changes or made a mistake, and that the verification process placed an unnecessary burden on organisations with large numbers of tenants claiming Universal Credit.
But Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) officials have told housing associations that from April, landlords will be able to update information about rent changes for tenants in bulk.
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Inside Housing understands that social landlords will be allowed to download a spreadsheet from the Universal Credit landlord portal and enter the rent change for all their tenants – for example, a 1% reduction for social tenants in England.
DWP will then be informed, with tenants then able to update the information in their Universal Credit journal.
Justin Tomlinson, minister for family support, housing and child maintenance, said: “Over 500 social landlords have signed up to our online landlord service and we continue to listen to feedback from the sector as we develop the system.
“We are exploring how we might be able to receive rent change information from landlords via the landlord portal, and we will continue to work closely with landlords to develop the best possible solution.”
The National Audit Office recommended last June that DWP should allow rent changes to be processed in bulk.
Will Atkinson, policy and programmes manager at Community Housing Cymru, said: “The introduction of a bulk upload function for landlord portal will be a welcome improvement to the rent increase process for April 2019.
“This change, once implemented, will significantly reduce the administrative burden for housing associations in Wales, and we are pleased with the continued commitment from DWP towards making sure Universal Credit works for all.”
Jeremy Hewer, policy advisor at the Scottish Federation of Housing Association, said: “This is a very welcome move, though it may be coming late for housing associations that have already put in plans to alert tenants to notify changes as they send out their rent change notifications.”
