Uc regectin to pay to landlord

Landlord Discussion
1

Hi everyone, I had a single parent Tenat moved in April this year. With 4 young kids to a 3 bedroom flat. I was approached by The agents said that they have Tenant with guranto, and the rent will be paid by direct debit from universal credit and she will pay the rest from her account . Later on I find out that the council said the tenant hasn’t got guarantor anymore. and she passed all her credit check and the affordability. We find out Tenant has a partner that leaves with her now. No direct debit from UC as agreed BY THE AGENT . They saying that the UC rejected to pay rent direct to the landlord . Also the tenant she said she aplayd twice to UC and also got regected .

This was supposed to be from first month rent.

What do you think I should do in this case .

Shall I prick UC DIRECT ? I know they will say until the Tenant need to be in errors of two or three months.

Already had previous tenant leaving with out paying for some months with Lods of damages I don’t want to get to the same problem again it cost me a lost .

What can you advice in this case please ?

Kindest .

2

@Han

Cant see any reason not to ask council - at least to record situation and that tenant already in arrears, to tell them you will be wanting it paid direct. Explain tenant says they have previously applied for that, so they do want their LL to be paid direct, and you accepted the tenant on that basis.

You should hope for best (tenant starts paying) but plan for the worst (no rent for a year while you evict and lots of damage). Tenant has probably lied about everything already so expect that to continue. They may not even be getting UC [how do you know?].

Ask the agents to inspect the property monthly and report back to you. Ask tenant to pay you the rent direct - they havent said they aren’t receiving it are they so why wouldnt they be able to pay you as soon as received? Record the answer in writing and repeat every month,

@David122 may be able to advise but I suspect if you knowingly allow the partner to stay you are helping the tenant commit UC fraud which is an offence, so if partner stays you need to report to the council. Council may then remove the UC, you will then have no choice but to evict after 3 months arrears. Tenant “won’t be able to find anywhere else” while they are living rent free

There are a range of other factors (language skills, NEET, mental health etc) that may allow rent to be paid direct to a LL- see extract below from the guidance which lists some you need to read the guidance properly as there is a whole annex of possible reasons

but if tenant is claiming to have applied for rent to be paid direct before and been rejected you may have little chance

Good luck

‐—

When a managed payment can be requested

A managed payment can be made when:

  • a claimant is in arrears with their rent for an amount equal to, or more than, 2 months of their rent
  • a claimant has continually underpaid their rent over more than 2 months, and they have accrued arrears of an amount equal to or more than one month’s rent
  • any of the other Tier 1 and Tier 2 APA factors apply
  • a claimant received Housing Benefit before and it was paid to their landlord, a managed payment can be considered providing the claimant continues to meet the Tier 1 or Tier 2 APA factors

<>

  • claimant has left prison within 3 months of making their claim to Universal Credit
  • consider only if their status impedes their ability to manage their Universal Credit financial affairs effectively – budgeting support may be the answer rather than an APA

2.7 Claimant has just left hospital

  • claimant has left hospital within 3 months of making claim to Universal Credit
  • consider only if their status impedes their ability to manage their Universal Credit financial affairs effectively – budgeting support may be the answer rather than an APA

2.8 Recently bereaved

  • claimant has suffered the loss of a close family member (as described in social fund guidance) within the last 3 months
  • consider only if their status impedes their ability to manage their Universal Credit financial affairs effectively – budgeting support may be the answer rather than an APA

2.9 Language skills (such as English not spoken as the first language)

  • claimant does not speak or understand English or does not speak or understand English as their first language
  • consider only if their status impedes their ability to manage their Universal Credit financial affairs effectively – budgeting support may be the answer rather than APA

2.10 Ex-service personnel

  • claimant was a member of HM Forces and was discharged within the last 18 months. This does not include civilian posts with HM Forces or any reserve organisations, such as the Territorial Army
  • consider only if their status impedes their ability to manage their Universal Credit financial affairs effectively – budgeting support may be the answer rather than an APA

2.11 A person who is ‘Not in Education, Employment, or Training’ (NEET)

  • claimant is aged 18 to 24 and not in education, employment or training
  • consider only if their status impedes their ability to manage their Universal Credit financial affairs effectively – budgeting support may be the answer rather than an APA
3

There’s nothing I can really add here except to suggest you sack the agent and improve your tenant selection process.

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4

You don’t seem to know what you are doing, you should reconsider if you should be a landlord or not.

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@Graham I dont think we should criticise @Han too much for reaching out to others for advice in a tricky situation. It’s not clear if fault is agent for trusting tenant would get the UC paid direct without checking with council, or tenant being optimistic or lying by omissions (not saying refused this in past)

@Han however @Graham has a bit of a point -some LL training might be worth considering as youve had issues with more than one tenant

Good luck

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I feel for you, but I dont think there is an quick easy solution here. If a partner has magically appeared, it sounds like they are not permitted to reside under the lease, so you should either include them in the contract, or tell tenant they are in breach of contract. She can’t just move people in and out at will and an extra adult will add wear and tear. Unfortunately, your agents have picked a bad tenant for you and I think you need to go back and ask for evidence of their referencing on this tenant. Unlikely to be able to change them as a tenant, BUT the agent sounds unprofessional at best here.

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7

The law changed, you can move in a partner under RRA.

You can take legal action against your agent
Ask for all referencing documents
If they did not conduct due diligence you have a string case for a claim ( there is case precedent in this area )

8

@A_Z

Where in RRA does it give anybody a right to move a partner in ? Never seen this in any of the guidance for RRA

Or

If you specify in the tenancy agreement who the occupants are, surely a tenant cant change that without agreement of the LL it would be a unilateral change to the agreed t&c

@David122 have you ever heard mention of this change claimed by @A_Z ?

Best

9

You always could.

I wouldn’t do either. If you want them to stay, add them as a permitted occupier. A simple piece of correspondence signed by all three parties will suffice. A good agent will help you with that. All you need to do is find one.

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There was never really anything stopping a tenant moving a partner in pre-RRA. It might be a breach of the tenancy contract, but a court isnt going to award possession based on that. The problem for the landlord is that the DWP will assume the partner is/should be contributing to the rent, whereas the landlord may be best advised to acknowledge them only as a permitted occupier and not accept any rent from them.

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@David122 @tatemono

So you agree there has been no change in the position due to RRA and there is no ‘right’ to move anybody you like (whether a partner or not) into a property, instead the tenant has to agree it with the landlord or (assuming the contract names whom is allowed to live there) will be a breach of contract.

Correct?

Best

12

@Han

Has partner offered to contribute to rent?
Has original tenant received benefits?
Has original tenant paid any rent or are they in arrears?

Not wholly clear yet what problem is except that you’d prefer to be paid direct by council

Best

13

Ive not seen anything in the RRA specifically permitting a tenant to move someone else in or indeed nullifying any contract clause to the contrary. It is possible that Ive missed something though.

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depends what the contract actually says

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Erm thats why i prefaced this with

16

why are you even tagging me and asking the question in the first place? Have you had enough coffee today?

Or maybe too much :laughing:

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@Han

Universal Credit (UC) isn’t a guarantee your rent will be paid.

Universal Credit is the overall single monthly benefit payment that covers living costs, while LHA is the specific maximum amount of housing support you get within that payment for a private landlord. You need to know they have Local Housing Allowance (LHA).

If a stranger (Partner ) moves in as their permanant residence - at minimum , this is a change in the contract agreement. Still needs vetting, ID proof, Right to Rent / passport checks - By law, you as LL need to have checked all this - or can be fined. (we landlords have all the risk)

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Hi David

Tenant only moved in the 10th of April 2026 she is paying in time no arrears .

Partner never offered to contribute to rent I never asked .

Yes she does as she has disabled child of 4/5 years old she get paid as carer and just had tween around 10 months old .

I confronted the tenant she said he comes to help me with the tweens as I have problem with my back . Then asked if I have any evidence .

I said yes I have . Then she continued saying he leaves somewhere else…

The cleaver way he came to View the property with her and another girl friend they never said his the partner or the father of the tweens , also the agent never mentioned anything about it. I assumed he’s just a friend. Until I’ve noticed that he helped to move in furniture and keeps coming to the property, park his van outside. He goes out early morning back in the evening …

I do blame the agent as first they said there is guarantor wich was the girlfriend that come to view the property with tenant , then I hear back from the agent that council contacted them saying the Tenat no longer has a guarantor. Will promise you that rent will come direct from the UC FOR PEACE OF MIND. (DONT WORRY) ! first month you get it from the direct from the tenant then after you will receive rent from UC .

Then I trusted them and agreed to sing the contract . 4 months now and still not able to get UC TO AGREE TO PAY DIRECT TO LL .

Both Tenant / agent applied twice and Not agreed unless a tenant in arrears / or the details are wrong ext … ext .,.

I played once last week and still same replay .

hope this make sense now .

Will I be able to get another agent to fully manage this tenant . ?

@Graham stop the abuse. !

Like I said yes I have been a landlord since 1980s

Things are changing every year is getting harder to keep up with new information.

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@Han

Good to hear rent paid up to date

Well as the tenant is paying the rent and claims the partner lives elsewhere there’s not much you can do.

Although a breach of the tenancy, you likely cant evict for that as @David122 says

The lack of direct payment from the council - well its not automatic even if tenant requests as the guidance has specific criteria.

You could see whether you can get RGI, perhaps after 6 months payments. There are also companies which act as a guarantor for a fee

You could complain to agent and go through their redress scheme but they will say rightly that direct payment to LLs is never guaranteed.

Bottom line to avoid problems with agents you have to check everything they do, or DIY

To avoid problems with UC you have to choose tenants not dependent on UC. The council and agents are not your friends they just want a person housed whoever it is and problems later are yours

Best

20

Its not abuse, its a suggestion that will probably be to your benefit. You admit yourself you can’t keep up with the regulations, and with the punishment being much greater now you are going to end up in big trouble as the landscape has completely changed. The days of the part-time casual landlord are over, that is the whole point of the recent changes the government has made.

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