DWP To Roll Out Landlord Portal To Help Associations Deal With Universal Credit

The DWP has written to the National Housing Federation to notify them they will be rolling the portal out. Housing associations will get access to the landlord portal and Trusted Partner programme. The DWP has long been pressed by the NHF for this to be implemented. The Fed said the trials of the landlord portal have shown that “even in a very basic form it improves communication between the DWP and landlords, speeds up the verification of claims and cuts the burden of administration.” They add: “Being a Trusted Partner allows landlords to make the recommendation for a tenant to have the rent portion of their Universal Credit paid direct to their landlord.” Read more on 24housing.

Universal Credit – Parliamentary Written Answer

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of universal credit recipients have been placed under alternative payment arrangements by social landlords with trusted partner status.

Justin Tomlinson: The detailed information requested is not currently available. The Trusted Partner test was undertaken over an 8 week period with six landlords. We are evaluating the findings of this test as part of our on-going test and learn approach to working with key stakeholders in delivering Universal Credit. This evaluation will include recommendations on any next steps and future plans.

Universal Credit Pilot Scheme to Tackle Rent Arrears

A scheme aimed at making it easier for Universal Credit claimants to have housing costs paid directly to social landlords is being trialled. Social landlords can request that the DWP redirects rent payments, but only if tenants accumulate two months worth of rent arrears – known as an ‘alternative payment arrangement’ (APA). The ‘Trusted Partner Status’ pilot will allow social landlords to identify tenants who they believe will struggle to keep up with rent payments. The DWP will then automatically redirect housing costs included in Universal Credit to social landlords, without first requiring a formal application. Protections are in place against social landlords who make large numbers of requests for APAs, purely for the purpose of rent collection. Should this be discovered, landlords will lose their ‘Trusted Partner Status’ and be reverted back to only asking for an APA after two months of missed rent payments. Read more on the Welfare Weekly website.