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.

We have submitted evidence on social security support for housing, calling for greater support for the letting agents and landlords when letting to those in receipt of Universal Credit.

In circumstances where a local council offers a financial incentive to landlords to accept specific tenants (e.g. in receipt of Housing Benefit), can a letting agent be entitled to keep that incentive payment as part of their fee?