"outrage as scroungers blow £220m in benefits "

carolt

Sorry for tabloidy headline - not my choice of words...

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/188834/Outrage-as-scroungers-blow-220m-in-benefits

"
MORE than £220million is being stolen from taxpayers every year by !!!!less tenants in a growing housing benefits scandal, the Daily Express can reveal.

Benefits scroungers are routinely stealing rent money worth hundreds of pounds given to them by the state to pay their landlords.

They are being allowed to pocket the cash for eight weeks before the !debt-ridden landlord is able to insist that the benefit is instead paid directly. Last night the Government vowed to call time on the controversial Local Housing Allowance that created the multi-million-pound scandal in the dying days of the Labour administration."

lynzpower

Conservative MP Philip Davies said: “It’s ludicrous that the last government stopped paying housing benefit to the landlord. It’s essential that this Government goes back to paying landlords directly.”

Yes it is.

I dont know why this was ever done? Does anyone remember? Im sure we had a very long running thread about it at the time.

Lots of people simply cannot manage thier money ( I know, I was one of them) and when they are on a low income and the washing machine blows, or you need dental treatment- well I can see the temptation.

Seems like the right way round to me to pay direct to the landlord, but lets face it, this isnt really news from the Express is it!

StevieJ

carolt wrote: »

Sorry for tabloidy headline - not my choice of words...

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/188834/Outrage-as-scroungers-blow-220m-in-benefits

"
MORE than £220million is being stolen from taxpayers every year by !!!!less tenants in a growing housing benefits scandal, the Daily Express can reveal.

Benefits scroungers are routinely stealing rent money worth hundreds of pounds given to them by the state to pay their landlords.

They are being allowed to pocket the cash for eight weeks before the !debt-ridden landlord is able to insist that the benefit is instead paid directly. Last night the Government vowed to call time on the controversial Local Housing Allowance that created the multi-million-pound scandal in the dying days of the Labour administration."

That should make up for the 10% drop on LHA, not often that you provide positive links relating to BTL

carolt

Not necessarily the same 10%, though.

Prudent

In practise, I am sure this could be a fairly lengthy process for the landlord.

tincans

carolt wrote: »

Sorry for tabloidy headline - not my choice of words...

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/188834/Outrage-as-scroungers-blow-220m-in-benefits

"
MORE than £220million is being stolen from taxpayers every year by !!!!less tenants in a growing housing benefits scandal, the Daily Express can reveal.

Benefits scroungers are routinely stealing rent money worth hundreds of pounds given to them by the state to pay their landlords.

They are being allowed to pocket the cash for eight weeks before the !debt-ridden landlord is able to insist that the benefit is instead paid directly. Last night the Government vowed to call time on the controversial Local Housing Allowance that created the multi-million-pound scandal in the dying days of the Labour administration."

So the Tories who are forever harping on about the nanny state and people not taking responsibility for themselves want to set people free from the shackles of evil big government.

Oh hang on.............

daveyjp

The Tories have short memories - 20 years ago it was paid to the applicant - I used to get it.

The other way doesn't work either - Landlords simply have tenants who don't exist, often using family/friends who take a cut of the HB.
Whilever we have social payments we will have fraud - no Govt of whatever colour will eradicate that.

carolt

Interesting points.

That's the problem with the amount of money potentially to be made through housing - it encourages crooks of the worst sort.