Universal-Credit-Guide-for-Private-Landlords - Manual / Resource - Page 12
Weekly paid customers will find that UC in
some months is worked out on 4 weeks
wages and in other months on 5 weeks
wages. There is a guide available online
that explains this well. Visit GOV.UK and
look for “different earnings patterns and
your payment” under Universal Credit.
Although UC awards will vary each month if
earnings vary each month, or the claimant
is paid weekly, the total income received by
your tenant will include the earnings plus
the UC award. The tenant must consider
their complete income for the month to
include both their UC and earnings when
budgeting for household bills including rent.
Q. What happens if my tenant changes
address?
When a claimant on UC moves they will
need to notify the DWP of their change of
address, the date they moved and also
their new eligible rent.
Although UC payments are
calculated in assessment periods, it is
the rent cost on the assessment date
that is used to work out the housing
element of UC.
Customers who change address during an
assessment period will have their housing
costs worked out for the whole of the
assessment period based on their
new rent.
Q. What if an Alternative Payment
Arrangement had been in place when my
tenant moves address?
Following the change of address any
Alternative Payment Arrangement that is in
place - including a managed payment to the
landlord, will be reviewed by the DWP and
either stopped or continued, according to
the claimant’s circumstances.
If the managed payment does continue,
and the tenant is now renting from a
different landlord, the former landlord
would NOT receive any UC money in respect
of the rent due to them within the monthly
assessment period that the tenant moves.
This is because the award and payment for
that monthly assessment period is based
on the claimant’s circumstances at the end
of their monthly assessment period, at
which point they were living in the new
property and renting from a new landlord.
If this occurs you will have to discuss the
final payment of rent with your tenant and
the tenant will be responsible for splitting
their UC payment to pay the remaining rent
that is due to you.
If you have an Alternative Payment in place
with your tenant, and they move out, you
should notify the DWP Service Centre. You
can phone them on 0800 328 5644.
For example, a tenant moving from a
social sector tenancy to a private sector
tenancy at a higher rent in the 3rd
week of their assessment period, will
have their UC for the whole of the
assessment period based on the higher
rent. Similarly, if a tenant moved to a
lower rent, UC would be based
on the lower rent for the whole
of the assessment period.
12
Universal Credit/Information for Landlords
April 2018
www.gov.uk/universal-credit
DWP service centre 0800 328 5644