UC Confusion Risks Driving Large Landlords Away From Housing Benefit Tenants

Confusion over how rent arrears will be tackled under Universal Credit has prompted almost four in 10 larger landlords to reduce the number of properties they let to welfare recipients, research from the British Property Federation (BPF) has revealed. The BPF said that landlord groups, NGOs and Government should all act to reduce the uncertainty of the impact of the Government’s flagship welfare reform after it found that 39% of landlords with more than 10 properties were intending to reduce the number of properties they let to those on housing benefit, when the change comes in. Universal Credit is designed to offer greater protection to landlords from rent arrears, but the BPF said that the result of its survey meant that this message was not accepted by many landlords. Read more on the BPF website.