housing benefit claim..

amjustagirl

Hi,
My tenant informed me he's been made redundant. Ive filled out some housing forms for him today. How long does it take approx to process? Is the landlord paid directly? His rent was due today, shall i send out none payment letters as standard in case he fails to pay up.
Thanks

G_M

It takes time to process.
Rent will be paid in arrears not in advance.
It will be paid to the tenant, not the LL.
Expect delays/late payments.

Give it a few days, but yes, follow standard non-payment process. Offer to meet the tenants to discuss (eg altering the payment date).

amjustagirl

Rent was due yesterday, so he's already 1 month in arrears. I thought the housing benefit would be paid straight to me? My friend mentioned she get's her tenants direct.
Thanks

G_M

No, he owes a months rent but he's one DAY in arrears.

HB is paid to the tenant. If /when the tenant is 8 weeks in arrears the LL can apply for it to be paid direct to him (/her).

Lots of info on this - most councils have websites. Here's a typical one.

Wee_Willy_Harris

Housing Benefit, now called Local Housing Allowance (LHA), is paid direct to the tenant. However, once the tenant is 2 months in arrears, the LL can apply to have it paid direct to them.

Most Local Authorities have initial delays in setting up an LHA claim. All monies due will be backdated so, once up and running, the rent should be nearly up to date. However, as G_M says, it is paid in arrears, not advance.

You can speed up the application process by following the recognised eviction action as a result of the arrears accrued during any initial delays. Issue S8 notice in the usual manner, advising your tenant to take a copy to Housing Benefits. The threat of eviction this notice infers should be sufficient to get their claim prioritised and dealt with quickly to avoid homelessness. It may also enable them to apply for DHP (Discretionary Housing Payment), if applicable. If you do decide to issue notice in order to speed up any claim, it would be best to advise your tenant of your reasons for doing so.

Once up and running, a tenant claimimg LHA should be no more difficult than any other tenant, and you do have some security from arrears with being able to get the payments direct as described above.

Jowo_2

After 2 weeks of submitting a claim, a claimant can request an interim HB payment. This should be processed if the tenant has submitted the correct paperwork but there are delays on the part of the council in processing it.

A landlord can only receive the LHA if the council believe the tenant is vulnerable and cannot manage their budget (or if there are the arrears described before).

property.advert

If he got made redundant yesterday, then where is his salary for the last month ? And his redundancy ? He should have rent for this month but may struggle going forward.

Me thinks something is not quite right here.

Wee_Willy_Harris

property.advert wrote: »

If he got made redundant yesterday, then where is his salary for the last month ? And his redundancy ? He should have rent for this month but may struggle going forward.

Me thinks something is not quite right here.

The OP didn't say when he was made redundant.

amjustagirl

He got made redundant 2 weeks ago (or so he says) He didnt get any redundancy money. Why he didnt get the housing forms sooner i do not know.

PasturesNew

Have you checked what his LHA rate is -v- the rent you charge?

Depending on his age, he'll get either the shared room rate, or the 1-bed rate - even if you're renting him Buckingham Palace.

If LHA is less than your rent, then they won't pay extra - he needs to be aware of this. If LHA is less than the rent you charge, you can't get blood out of a stone as he'll only be getting £65/week JSA and has all the other bills to pay and food to buy and jobhunting costs.

Wee_Willy_Harris

amjustagirl wrote: »

He got made redundant 2 weeks ago (or so he says) He didnt get any redundancy money. Why he didnt get the housing forms sooner i do not know.

Could be any one of a dozen legitimate reasons. If he got any payment in leu of notice, for example, he would have been told that he wouldn't qualify during that period (even just 2 weeks) so may have delayed applying. He may have initially been confident of getting alternative employment. For many, the world of benefits and the proceedures involved is both alien and uncomfortable.