Peers from all parties have backed a report highlighting major problems with Universal Credit (UC), including the need for immediate payments to cover the first five weeks of a claim that are not recovered from future payments.

The Northern Ireland Executive announced improvements to Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) which can be made to private tenants to cover a shortfall between benefit payments received and rent incurred.

The Department for Work and Pensions have confirmed to Propertymark that changes will be made to Universal Credit Rent Arrears Payments so that they will be calculated at the same time as Direct Rent Payments.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer's Autumn Spending Review and Budget provided clarity on measures affecting the property industry which have been announced over the last three-six months including the levy on developers re unsafe cladding. Other factors announced affecting property agents provide some good news, however, it leaves a lot to be desired.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, has announced a number of measures affecting the property industry in the UK Government’s 2021 budget, but Propertymark believes more should be done in order to tackle COVID-related rent arrears.

The Welsh Government announced today, 20 July, a new Early Alert Scheme which will provide £1.4 million of funding to debt advice services that have faced a dramatic increase due to the pandemic in order to further support the private rented sector (PRS).

After a recent case where a mother of two had been refused rented accommodation because she received housing benefits, a judge has ruled that blanket bans are unlawful and discriminatory.

In his Summer Statement today, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak said that millions of people are moving onto Universal Credit because of the Coronavirus pandemic and the UK Government will double the number of Work Coaches in Job Centres.

The House of Lords’ Economic Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry into the economics of Universal Credit due to its continued delay.

The UK Government has announced that the freeze on Local Housing Allowance rates has been lifted and could see Housing Benefit payments rise from April.

On 30 December 2019 new guidance was published for alternative payment arrangements and service charges for landlords, with the Universal Credit (UC) and Rented Housing: Guide for Landlords updated to include links to the UC Credit Landlords Portal.

Today (24 July 2019), regulations will come into force to enable the delivery of a Universal Credit migration pilot based in Harrogate.

At recent Government meetings about Universal Credit, ARLA Propertymark highlighted that the continued cap in Local Housing Allowance is having a significant impact on its recipients’ ability to obtain good quality and well managed accommodation.

A Croydon-based software company says payment times will be cut from weeks to two days after the launch of their new system later this year in partnership with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

The Work and Pensions Select Committee heard from three panels of witnesses on the subject of the ‘No DSS’ adverts in the private rented sector.

The Government has recently updated the Universal Credit and Renting Housing Guide for landlords, as well as a more detailed guide on Alternative Payment Arrangements.