Rent going up and confusion on UC housing element

PeterJ75

Hi guys. My social housing rent is going up a bit on Monday but I won't get my next UC payment until the following Monday. I hear you can only declare your new rent figure to UC on the day it actually changes but another thing is the rent is further increasing on the 21st of this month and that will be it until April. But again this rent increase happens in-between UC payments as I'll obviously get the next one in mid November. So I'm kind of confused about this and whether I will not be getting the right amount of housing element and if I will be really struggling with money until that November payment. Anyone know what I can do or if they will back pay me in some way? thanks.

Alice_Holt

What is your assessment period?

It's your situation / circumstances at the end of the assessment period that determines the UC calculation for that month.

So if your assessment period ends on, say, the 25th of the month, then the rent increase on the 21st should be calculated by UC for the whole of the month. 

PeterJ75

On my journal it says my assessment period ends on 7th October and in November it would be the same date I'd imagine as I always get paid on the 14th of each month unless it falls on a weekend, then I get it earlier. For my next payment it says my statement will be ready on the 10th October but I don't get paid until the 14th. 

Alice_Holt

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/benefits/how_a_change_of_circumstances_affects_universal_credit

PeterJ75

Thanks I'm still kind of confused as to whether I'll lose out on money, obviously not through any fault of my own like a sanction. I have actually tried to report the rent change via my journal on the "where you live and what it costs" section but I get an error saying "this date cannot be in the future". So I guess this is why people often say UC aren't good with "future stuff".
So I'll just have to do it on the day of the increase? or ring them up Monday?

Alice_Holt

So,
If you report your rent increase on the 21st Oct.

That is in your assessment month 6th Oct to 7th Nov.

It's your circumstances on 7th Nov (end of your assessment period) that determines the calculation of that month's UC (whole-month approach).   So the rent increase will be applied from the start of your assessment month (6th Oct), and you will not lose out.

PeterJ75

Ok thanks. We'll see what happens as I have that first increase and then the bigger next one on the 21st.

Newcad

Isn't it a bit of an odd time for a Social Housing rent to be increasing, particularly 2 rent increases in the same month?

Social Housing rent increases usually happen once a year at the start of April.

Is it your rent that is increasing. or is it perhaps an increase in inclusive services charges?
eg. is your heating bill included with/in your 'rent' payments perhaps?

Robbie64

Newcad said:

Isn't it a bit of an odd time for a Social Housing rent to be increasing, particularly 2 rent increases in the same month?

Social Housing rent increases usually happen once a year at the start of April.

Is it your rent that is increasing. or is it perhaps an increase in inclusive services charges?
eg. is your heating bill included with/in your 'rent' payments perhaps?

I had thought the same and indeed, was under the impression that a rent increase could only happen once a year for rents set by social landlords, which includes Housing Associations. The notice of proposed rent increase that i get each year from my HA includes a note that the starting date for a proposed new rent must not be earlier than 52 weeks after the date on which the rent was last increased (this is one of three requirements that must apply under Section 13(2) of the Housing Act 1988). Every HA I know of increases the rent from the first Monday in April. that would mean that the next increase would be the following April.

huckster

If it is just ineligible service charges e.g. utility bill costs  that are increasing then Universal Credit will not help with this.

Newcad

Social Rents can have an annual increase at other times than April, eg. they could be linked to the tenancy start date instead, it's pretty unusual for that to be the case though.

However with the Ofgem energy price cap changes happening a week ago at the start of October I'm wondering if what is changing here is an included energy cost for the like of communal heating?
(That could also explain why there are 2-different rises, one for a part month since 1st Oct, then one for the next full month and ongoing).
If that is the case then as @huckster points out it would not change the amount of UC-HE that is paid, but each change does need to be reported when it happens.