Councils Tell Tenants To Wait For Bailiffs Before Moving Out

An alarming number of private tenants are being told by their local council to ignore eviction notices served by their landlords – and to wait for bailiffs to turn up before moving out – in order to qualify for rehousing support, according to new findings. Half (49 per cent) of tenants who’ve been served with a section 21 notice by their private landlord say they have been told to ignore it by their local council or an advice agency such as Shelter or the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB). The figures shine a light on the scale of the issue and has been exacerbated by the increasing use of private landlords by local authorities to discharge their housing duties. Read more on the NLA website.

Tenants Trust Social Landlords for Advice on Energy Savings

The study by the not-for-profit consultancy Sustainable Homes for the Department of Energy and Climate Change has found associations managing property are in the best position to offer help, ahead of energy charities and family and friends. It also revealed that people struggle to make sense of their bills: 75% of those questioned for the study saying they had difficulty understanding them. More than one-third said they were confused by heating controls. The survey of 300 people was conducted as part of the National Energy Study, which was undertaken with 14 housing associations and 500 households last winter to look at energy use within the home. Download the report from the Sustainable Homes website.

Former DWP Staff Go Rogue to Help Benefit Claimants

Three disgruntled former civil servants have been inundated with pleas for help after they set up a website offering emergency advice to welfare claimants who believe their benefits have been wrongly docked.  The three women behind the website, who all worked for the DWP, allege that many Jobcentre staff are instructed to veto a set proportion of claims. The allegation is strongly denied by the department.  In the last few days it has gone viral and the women have been bombarded by claimants accusing the DWP of unfairly cutting their benefits. On one day last week the website, www.jobseekersanctionadvice.com, received 200 messages, half from people protesting against being wrongly penalised. Read more on the Independent website.

London Assembly Report Calls for Action As Rough Sleepers Rise 23%

With the latest figures showing 2,455 people slept rough in the capital between April and June 2014 – a rise of 23% on the same period in 2013 - the London Assembly All-Party Housing Committee has published its report on tackling rough sleeping. 'No going back' calls for an end to the policy of 'priority need criteria' that excludes most single homeless people getting any offer of accommodation from councils, as they are only required to provide advice. The only exemptions are those who meet strict priority need criteria. Predictably but sensibly, the report also says that more can and should be done to prevent rough sleeping in the first place. It singles out homelessness advice offered by councils. Download the report by clicking on the logo below.

Housing Benefit – Parliamentary Written Answer

Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the number of tenant evictions resulting from the decision to pay housing benefit direct to claimants rather than landlords.  

Steve Webb: The Government does not expect an increase in the number of evictions in relation to the direct payments of housing benefit. Most tenants in the private rented sector are already used to receiving their housing payments directly, and managing their own finances. For other tenants, including many in the social rented sector, this will represent more of a change. We are working with the advice sector to ensure that claimants are able to access budgeting support services to help them to manage their money successfully. Money advice will be offered at a national and local level, and include a mix of online, telephone and face to face services. A minority of claimants may require alternative payment arrangements. This might include paying rent direct to the landlord, making payments more frequently than monthly, or splitting the payment for a couple.

Are Local Authorities Prepared For Welfare Reform?

Councils are finding it difficult obtaining detailed information on welfare reform and feel unprepared.  The charity Homeless Link carried out research to find out if local authorities had made preparations to support vulnerable people affected by welfare changes. It interviewed 42 local authorities between November and December last year and found ‘many authorities described a lack of accurate information about welfare changes’.  Councils said it was difficult to find out information about the changes which made it hard to train staff and to prepare. They also expressed frustration at the lack of information shared from the six direct payment pilots. The report also found that although 28 of the 42 councils interviewed knew how many households in their area would be affected by the housing benefit size criteria, none had done research to predict the impact on tenants. Read more on the Homeless Link website.

Top Tips: Lessons From the Direct Payment Pilot Schemes

How can you prepare for the introduction of direct payment? A panel of experts involved in the government's pilot schemes share their advice.

The following is a very brief extract from a range of advice given by executives of organisations involved in the demonstration projects.

*Four times the level of staffing compared to normal arrears recovery: *Significant staff resources devoted to communication and making sure everyone understands the changes. One staff member for every 160 tenants.

*Arrears have risen from 2% to 11%.

*Tackle arrears at an earlier stage

*Extra exemptions: One of the main aims of the direct payment projects is to work out which circumstances should give rise to exemptions.

Read more on the Guardian website.