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Posts Tagged ‘LHA’
Housing benefit to be paid direct to landlords with tenants in arrears
The direct payment of Housing Benefit to landlords rather than tenants is back on the table, according to Welfare Minister, Lord Freud. In a speech to the National Housing Federation conference, he said that landlords will receive benefit payments directly as part of the new universal credit system. If their tenants fall into rent arrears, Lord Freud said that the main aim of this measure was to... Read more
Family homes attract Buy to Let landlords
Buy to Let landlords are increasingly looking to family homes as a solid investment. The latest numbers from BTL mortgage people Paragon shows a significant increase in landlords looking to families as tenants This shouldn't be a surprise. With the changes to Housing Benefit and Local Housing Allowance (LHA) already starting to filter through the private residential sector (PRS), we expect... Read more
Private Landlords back away from LHA Tenants
15% of private landlords say they will stop taking on Local Housing Allowance (LHA) tenants in response to the coalition government's changes to the level of payments, according to BDRC Continental's Landlords panel. The research strongly suggests that the changes to the level of LHA payments, which will be capped to the 30th percentile of local rents, will drive many private landlord away... Read more
Should rioters lose their council houses?
In the race to be the toughest on law and order, in the aftermath of the riots and looting across the country earlier in the week, the Prime Minister and Communities Secretary have both said that convicted rioters should lose out on benefits and possibly even their social housing. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, said in the House of Commons yesterday: "To the law-abiding people who play by... Read more
Government: Benefit changes will create 40k homeless households
A leaked government memo from Eric Pickles' Communities department to the Prime Minister David Cameron, reveals that changes to Housing Benefit and LHA, and a proposed cap on all benefits, will result in 40k households in Britain becoming homeless. The leaked document also predicts that affordable house building will not meet forecasts. The memo notes that the savings from cuts to benefits will... Read more
50% of Landlords will reduce lets to housing benefit tenants
A survey by the National Landlords Association (NLA) reports that over 50% of landlords will be reducing the number of properties they let to housing benefit tenants. According to the survey, 58% stated that they would cut the properties they let to tenants on housing benefits. 90% of those landlords plan to do so in the next 18 months. One third revealed that they would be taking action... Read more
Ask Upad: My social tenant is in arrears, how do I get direct payments?
Q: I rent a flat to a couple who receive Housing Benefit. They have fallen into arrears and I want to take action to have the rent they get paid directly to me. The tenants themselves are not being very communicative but obviously I still have expenses to meet. What do I do to get their rent paid directly to me? A: Local authorities must make direct payments to landlords if a tenant has rent... Read more
Changes to LHA that will affect landlords
The Department for Work and Pensions has published new guidance, regarding the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) that will impact tenants and landlords in England and Wales. Effective from April 2011, the new rules mean that LHA can be paid directly to landlords where they agree to lower rents that tenants pay. It’s complex. Eyes down. Look in. In general, LHA will continue to be paid directly to... Read more
Landlords who reduce rents can receive LHA direct
The government has announced that landlords who reduce rents for tenants on benefits will be able to receive Local Housing Allowance paid directly to them. Currently, LHA is paid to tenants who are then expected to pass it on to their landlord: however, some landlords have stated that this does not happen and the system has led many to avoid tenants on benefits altogether. Local authorities... Read more
Cameron denies change of plan on Housing Benefit
In Prime Minister's Questions this lunchtime, David Cameron denied that the government is planning to moderate its proposals for changes to Housing Benefit. He told MPs, "We're not changing our minds." The PM went on: "The housing benefit budget has gone up by 50%. Our proposals are difficult but they are necessary so we can protect the schools and NHS budgets." Pushed by Labour leader Ed... Read more
BBC: LHA caps “may change”
The BBC's running a story this morning saying that the new, capped levels of Local Housing Allowance announced in June's Budget may change. Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, is said to be listening to the concerns of Conservative MPs, particularly those from London who have already spoken to mayor Boris Johnson. The BBC's political correspondent Vicki Young said that her source... Read more
CIH helps landlords calculate impact of LHA changes
If you need to figure out what impact the changes to LHA are likely to have on your lettings business, the Chartered Institute of Housing have published a calculator which helps landlords work out the likely effects for their rents. The CIH impact calculator: estimates the amount your tenants are at risk of losing in housing benefit if the current planned government changes are... Read more
RLA calls for “Housing Allowance re-think”
The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has challenged the Department for Work and Pensions over an issue that it claims is driving its members away from letting to tenants on Housing Benefit. Local Housing Allowance is paid directly to tenants and is often not paid to landlords who experience rent arrears. The RLA wants to see tenants given the choice to allow direct payment to landlords.... Read more
LHA changes will increase rent arrears, says NLA
The National Landlords Association has said that proposed changes to the benefits system will lead to an increase in rent arrears. The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that the cuts will see an average reduction of £12 per week in Local Housing Allowance payable, but in a survey of landlords with tenants receiving LHA, almost half of respondants told the NLA that they could not... Read more
88% of landlords will not lower rent to new LHA levels
Since the Emergency Budget in June, there's been plenty of speculation about what effects it will have on the rented property market. Some commentators have expected private landlords to wholesale abandon DSS tenants; others have speculated that lowering LHA will bring down rents across the board, and have celebrated the thought that "greedy landlords" will have to charge everyone less. We... Read more
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