Universal Credit 'Safeguards' Include Paying the Rent Itself

The DWP is stepping up its efforts to keep tenant arrears down under universal credit (UC) including, it seems, by paying the rent itself.  In recent months, the DWP has been working closely with housing providers and the NHF to ensure rent payments are safeguarded under the new benefits system, which is currently being rolled out across the country. But according to the Labour MP Frank Field these 'safeguards' have been taken one step further. Field claims he has seen official figures from the DWP that show the department is making payments direct to landlords for more than half the 70 participants in a 'pathfinder' pilot. Average rent arrears for those in the pilot are said to have doubled to £942. Field said the move was particularly worrying because the pilots have involved only single people and couples with relatively straightforward circumstances. Read more on 24dash.