Advanced rent payment on Universal Credit

Anna948

Hi. We’re currently in receipt of UC, and rent privately. We need to move house. My partner is newly self employed, so we won’t pass the affordability checks on my income alone. The landlord will accept 6 months rent upfront. We could get a personal loan for this, and then pay it back over the 6 months like that was our rent payment. 

My question is, will we still receive our housing element of our UC payment for those 6 months? 

Our claim was originally set up to help with child care costs, but of course the housing element is taken in to account. Without that entitlement, we’ll get nothing back towards our childcare. 

Thanks for any advice. 

poppy12345

As you will have a liability to pay rent then yes you will receive the housing element as part of your maximum UC entitlement. Use a benefits calculator to check what you maybe entitled to.