Call on Boris to review the Benefit Assessment Period of UC

Caridon Landlord Solutions calls on Boris Johnson to review the Benefit Assessment Period (BAP) of Universal Credit which is catching landlords and tenants out.

Landlords and tenants who do not understand the implications of coordinating the Benefit Assessment Period (BAP) of Universal Credit with the dates of their tenancy agreement are, in some cases, missing out on nearly a whole month rent, according to Caridon Landlord Solutions (CLS). CLS is calling on new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to review the process and make necessary changes.

Universal Credit consists of several elements which make up a claimant’s entitlement.  If a tenant receives financial aid to help pay their rent, then the Housing Cost Element (HCE) of Universal Credit will cover this. Tenants are expected to pay landlords directly, however, this is where the problem lies because the UC payment is made monthly, whereas their previous legacy benefits might have been weekly which, for some, has led to issues with budgeting.

Sherrelle Collman, Managing Director of Caridon Landlord Solutions, says: “With the old Local Housing Allowance system, Housing Benefit was administered in line with a claimant’s date of application, however, this is not the case with Universal Credit.  There are occasions when landlords will not receive their tenant’s Housing Cost Element, even though they believe that they are entitled to do so, and the APA (Alternative Payment Arrangement) will cease.  This is because of their tenant’s BAP (Benefit Assessment Period).  We have helped more than 25 landlords with this issue in the last 2 months.”

A claimant’s assessment period for Universal Credit starts from the date their entitlement begins.  Claimants do not receive their first payment of Universal Credit until 7 days after the first assessment period has ended.

They will then receive subsequent payments of Universal Credit after each assessment period on the same day of the month – one month and 7 days.

Here is an example timeline to explain: –

• The first day of the BAP will be the date on which the claim is made, e.g. 8^th May
• The last day will be the day before this on the following month, e.g. 7^th June
• Payments are then made 7 days after the end of the BAP, e.g. 14^th June

“So, let’s say a tenant’s Benefit Assessment Period (BAP) runs from 8th to 7th of each successive month, with payment made up to 7 days later (14th).

 If a change of address is reported during the course of the BAP, even on the last day (7th), it is deemed to have happened on the first day of the assessment period.  In some cases, this can be favourable as the new landlord will gain a whole month’s rent.  However, in other cases this can be an issue as the old landlord will lose out and lose a whole month’s rent” says Sherrelle.

Using the above example, if a tenant moved out of a landlord’s property on 30^th May 2019, at the end of his/her BAP (7^th June 2019) they are no longer that landlord’s tenant and will not receive any rent for that month.  Unlike Housing Benefit, which is pro-rated between old and new landlord, in this instance, only the new landlord gains from the whole months’ rent if an APA is in play. This means, in many cases, the outgoing landlord can easily lose a whole month’s rent.

Caridon Landlord Solutions says that Universal Credit is a complex benefit and the Benefit Assessment Period is catching people out resulting in many tenants incurring arrears and losing their home. “Establishing a tenant’s BAP is very important. If you’re aware of the rule and the dates of your tenant’s BAP you can make arrangements to ensure neither you, nor your tenant, are disadvantaged.  For example, by ensuring the Tenancy Agreement dates fall in line with those of the BAP” says Sherrelle.

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