Dear Universal Credit Stage 1 complaints

There was a question in PMQs yesterday asking the government to look into why Landlords are refusing to rent to benefit claimants!!!
Theresa May literally had no answer or clue!

Reply to the comment left by Neil Patterson at 21/02/2019 - 11:39
Perhaps she should come and do a couple of days work experience with Mick, myself, or any other landlord that has tenants on Universal Credit!!!!

Yes Neil, why don't they just come & ask us & Me & Rob.
We are the ones that know the problems & we know why some of us ain't taking 'em any more.

Hi Mick,
I had a problem with this having a few hundred tenants on UC and to find the solution took me a longtime on the phone and alot of shouting.
You dont need the reference number that is useless and nobody can find anything off it, but the actual name of the payee which is usually two letters and then the rest numbers followed by a letter and then DWP UC (or AWP if its an arrears payment) is the tenants national insurance number and they can search using that.
Hope that helps
Chris

Yeah Chris,

I can't even ring any more, my last call was 1hr 15 & then when I got through, the department was shut.

This what I'm referring to as Reference number, as I've just had to type this out, as got a few more more important people getting in touch now, I've been ranting a bit, one being Frank Fields MP, the bloke in charge of the Works & Pensions Committee, he's using some of my stuff to take to the first enquiry on 20 March, to:

There is also a new inquiry that is being launched on “No DSS discrimination against benefit claimants in the housing sector”. The first public evidence session for this inquiry is due to be on 20 March

My latest words about the reference numbers are:

Thurs 21 Feb 19, 1130 I ring XXXXX to try to make them see sense one last time. I get Pat man.
I say ICE has asked me to ask u one last time to look at these reference numbers as it is not a policy issue.
I have to ask what when I start getting 5 payments in the bank on the same day for 6 SIX different tenants & I han’t got a clue who’s payment is for who? I’m expecting 6, but one is missing & we don’t know who? I am going to have start evicting all 6 tenants as I have no proof each & every one has paid.
How do I know which payment is for which tenant if UC don't put reference numbers next to them? Pat can’t answer.

Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 21/02/2019 - 17:37
The whole situation isn’t very clear and no one who works at UC really seems to be aware of what’s happening.

You regularly get passed from department to department and the staff have no way of searching the reference numbers anyway.

The only advice I can offer is that you need the full service team as they can search by the NI number which is the payee name on the transaction.

I’m sure your used to it but be prepared for a 20 minute conversation explaining that you aren’t the claimant and you may have to call back several times until you get someone who actually understands GDPR and that as a landlord you have a legal right to know who the payment relates too.

Exactly Chris,

Even some of the top complaint people don't know what's happening. Managers are replying like 5 year old kids that's been chucked out school.

Yeah Chris, I don't need the references for them, it's when payments go in my bank & I han't got a clue for which tenant it is.
Housing Benefit for 20 years send me on the Wednesday at 8am let's say 20 houses 20 tenants their names address & how much HB that tenant is getting, for each tenant. Then Fri morning 9am the amount is in your bank. You get told before who is getting what. With UC, we han't got a clue what & who that money is for.
Complaints now think it's normal no reference numbers, then I tell 'em you've been paying some for years & now they all seem to have no reference details on.
Some complaint departments when they actually ring u & u tell 'em this, they go Ooh.
I've got the UC area partnership manager coming to see me to see if can solve it, I told him easy u just ring IT & say What's happening with these reference details, How does Landlord know which house tenant it is for? It's as easy as that.

Chris, I have some payments with NO NI number, I know laughable in't it.

What u spoke about above the 2 letters for name, yes when they was doing reference numbers, I was getting that. Easy Peas. That's how I also set up my private working tenants when doing direct standing order from their bank.

I can't physically ring UC every time a payment goes in bank to say who's is this NI number. I'd be on phone 12 hours a day just doing that.

Ha ha yes, they don't want to talk to us do they, even if we want to report arrears.

Mick, ,may be they found out you have a bank account that pays good deal of interest and so they are paying that money safely into yours only to claw it back with that good deal of interest😜

They do not have a clue Mick.

I have no advice here, other than the advice I gave myself which was to avoid working with the Council at all costs many years ago. It wasn't too bad years ago when they sent a list of tenants with the amount paid, but even that wasn't easy because they paid every 4 weeks instead of when it was convenient to me!! I now tell prospective tenants I have no problem with where the money comes from, but they must pay their rent on the 1st of each month (all our leases start on the 1st of any given month), in advance, no matter what. I have lost a lot of prospective tenants, but my sanity must come first. I'm keeping my finger crossed that they sort it out for you. If it helps, it took me a year and a half to get a supply of electric to a flat. They dug up the road and filled it in 3 times and put an overhead line across the road and then took it down! They gave me electric and took it away the next day, twice! One can only hope you finally find someone with sense enough to sort it out for you.

Reply to the comment left by Mike at 22/02/2019 - 11:07
Ha ha yes that could be their ploy. This bank though is an offset account, so costs me when falls below a certain amount.