Arrears ‘Too High’ On Demonstration Projects

The arrears percentage on the Government’s direct payment demonstration projects is "too high" and would be hard for landlords to support in the longer term, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has warned.  The institute was responding to Government figures revealing that 8% of the rent on average had been uncollected on the projects, which are roadtesting the direct payment of housing benefit to social tenants ahead of Universal Credit.  It published figures for the first four months of the projects, which kicked off in June, showing that 92% of the £7,692,844 owed in rent had been collected and that 316 of the 6,200 tenants participating in the project had been switched back to payments to their landlords. Read more on the CIH website.