Universal Credit – Do I really need a new AST?

Reply to the comment left by "David Oswald" at "14/07/2016 - 09:55":

I regret that the only language that this government understands is massive homelessness with the local councils having to pay for B&B.
Universal credit is a good idea with one fundamental flaw, the lack of an automatic direct payment facility. In its present form it is fundamentally flawed and it is up to landlords to bring the situation to the attention of the authorities by not taking DWP tenants unless direct payment is available from day one.

I can see what they are trying to do. Make claimants take responsibility for themselves and manage their finances and ultimately this is supposed to springboard them back to work...in a fantasy world!

The people who are capable and willing to go back to work will do so because that is who they are! making someone budget their own benefits will not turn them into this person unfortunately. The ones who can manage their money will and the ones who can't won't and paying them a lump sum which they have to manage will not turn them into a responsible, organised person it will just make them a homeless one.

Sad, but true...

Update from my tenant

After 8 months and 3 letters (They kept saying they had not rec and tenant could not afford to do recorded delivery) they have said that after reviewing his appeal it was their mistake he has been given 2 months back dated rent money for Oct/Nov . Didnt get the 3rd month not sure why.

He is long term sick and now they have stopped all payments so he has no money due to not attending an appointment in March . He says he did not have to attend this.

He has been in turmoil for all this time and many landlords would have evicted by now, I have not because he has been with me for 10years.

But the DWP will be 100% responsible for many many evictions.

I have already had to evict two tenants due to Universal Credit. There are many problems with this UC system and no way for landlords to rectify the problems.

In the past there have been problems with other DWP benefits, and with Housing Benefit, but there have been ways in which the landlord could contact the DWP or Council and help to resolve those problems, (admittedly with some difficulty). However, this is not possible with UC because they refuse to speak to landlords (unless tenant there at same time), they will not even accept e-mails from landlords, they won't even accept signed authorisations from the tenant allowing them to share information with the landlord, etc.

The UC team seem determined to make it impossible for landlords to resolve any problems, so if the tenant is incapable of resolving it themselves (many are not capable of this), then the landlord is left with no option but to evict the tenant. - What a stupid system the UC process is, it seems designed to cause homelessness!!!!

I think it was designed to make it as difficult as possible to force people off all benefits

They wanted to hit the people not working and the landlords who claimed the HB.
I bel the biggest benefit paid out is pension credit.

The previous government did not give a damn about homelessness paid a bit of lip service to it.
Increased DHP ( drop in the ocean) many tenants only got it for 3 months use to be 12 months norm.

Will this new government be any different?
.

Reply to the comment left by "KATHY MILLER" at "16/07/2016 - 14:49":

I believe the money paid to pensioners is about two thirds of the total welfare benefit bill, but this is protected (perhaps because they normally vote, and the vast majority vote Conservative). The poor working class and unemployed are far less likely to vote, and when they do vote they are less likely to vote Conservative). If two thirds of the benefits go to pensioners, then hitting the unemployed with tax cuts makes very little difference either financially (to the nation), or politically (it does not lose many votes), but it does give the (false) impression that the government are being tough on those it feels should be out at work. Yes, it is designed to force people off of benefits and into work, but it fails to take account of those who cannot work (for various reasons, inc' health issues and lack of skills), and it is these people that are being forced onto UC, and when this goes wrong being forced into homelessness. This is not hypothetical, I have seen this process in action, and seen the results.

Brilliantly said Rob, that's just how it is/was with HB, we could eventually solve the problem.

I've sent two letters with full permission letters to UC, they've not contacted me at all. I only have one girl on UC at moment, she's been with me approx. 16 years now, 5 months on UC & they din't pay the first 6 weeks or so. I've been unable to talk to anyone about this since Feb.

I've heard we can't complain at all like we can to the Ombudsman about HB, but surely there must be some regulatory body that can call them to account. PLEASE someone look into it. I'm getting too old to learn again, had all this with HB 19 years ago.

Reply to the comment left by "Mick Roberts" at "16/07/2016 - 15:18":

The last time I asked the UC Team for some information about how to do something (i.e. about a process, not about any specific tenant), I got this reply:

Thank you for your e-mail
As this was not received through our Secure and Auditable Route way we are unable to action it or open any attachments
Please either contact the service centre on 0345 6000 723 with your enquiry or send your documents to our freepost address

FREEPOST DWP UNIVERSAL CREDIT LIVE SERVICE

Regards
Universal Credit Housing Team

Reply to the comment left by "Robert Mellors" at "16/07/2016 - 15:41":

I followed this up with:

Hi Unnamed UC Team Member

Thank you for your unhelpful response. Perhaps you would be so good as to provide me with an e-mail address where someone will answer the question, instead of referring me to the equally unhelpful service centre phone number? The information I am asking for is not confidential or top secret, and it does not relate to a named person so there is no issue of breach of data protection, so there is absolutely no valid reason whatsoever for refusing to provide the information requested or answer the question raised. Other sections and personnel within the DWP are helpful (special thank you to Judith Hartshorne) so I do not understand why the UC team put up so many blocks and barriers to communication, or why they have to be so deliberately unhelpful??????

- If anyone this is copied in to has the power to change this unhelpfulness of the UC system, then please make those changes, or forward the e-mail on to someone who can do something about it.

Thank you.

Robert Mellors
Choice Housing Ltd

This was copied to some of the staff at the DWP Service Design and Management Centre, in the hope that they may be able to improve the communication problems.

They unbelievable. aren't they. They don't even understand when u aren't talking about anything confidential.

They a load of 20 year old kids running the show reading the script from a book.