Advice on a tricky situation please.

[Kate!]

so...here's the situation.

My friend is living in a housing association property. She gets under 70 per week as a carer and some Universal Credit once a month to pay her rent with.

Now the housing association are telling her she's in arrears because they want her to be a month in advance in credit and she can't afford to pay it. I've just had her other phone in tears of despair. Is this right and legal that they can do this?

Any advice or thoughts appreciated.

Xx

[Cherie]

Check her contract would be the first thing to see if they can move the goalposts like that?

Also I would have thought they would have to accept a payment plan, rather than asking for the whole lot up front if they can change her payment schedule like this.

No idea Kate, but Citizens Advice would probably be her best bet

[rusticgal]

Its quite normal to pay rent in advance. You are paying to live there for the next month rather than paying for having lived there for a month.


Like Cherie says...maybe they can work out a payment plan.

[Kate!]

Its quite normal to pay rent in advance. You are paying to live there for the next month rather than paying for having lived there for a month.

I may not have explained it well. She does pay a month in front but they are asking her to be another full month in credit xx

[Cherie]

Its quite normal to pay rent in advance. You are paying to live there for the next month rather than paying for having lived there for a month.


Like Cherie says...maybe they can work out a payment plan.

that is true, it is usually a months deposit and a months rent in advance, looks like they might have mucked up themselves maybe

[Cherie]

I may not have explained it well. She does pay a month in front but they are asking her to be another full month in credit xx

so to be 2 months in advance D:

she needs to check her contract to see if they can ask for this

[LeatherTrumpet]

go to CA and they will sort it out no problemo

Ask for a discretionary housing payment

If Housing Benefit or Universal Credit doesn’t cover all your rent, you might be able to get discretionary housing payment (DHP). A DHP is extra money from your local council to help pay your rent - you don’t need to pay it back.

You need to be getting Housing Benefit or the housing costs part of Universal Credit to get a DHP. You can ask your local council for a DHP claim form

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/social-housing/during-your-tenancy/you-cant-afford-the-rent-for-your-council-home/

[Vicky.]

Nah they cannot just demand this randomly. Fairly sure they cannot say you have to be ahead on the rent either (besides like..month rent in advance if private...sure that doesnt usually apply to housing association stuff though but might), aslong as you are not in arrears.

Does she work also by any chance? Not to pry, but if hes living on the 70 a week, she can get a LOT of help, it sounds wrong for her to only get UC to cover rent? Unless shes also working as I say..

Discretionary housing payment might be an option if rent is skinting her, but if shes getting rent covered off UC then thats unlikely..and they certainly would not give DHP because someones landlord randomly decided they need to be 2 months ahead, rather than the one month agreed! DHP is usually for people in private with extortionate rents, or people who have a 'spare bedroom'...

[Vicky.]

I think I might know why they are bitching about her being 'behind' thinking on it. We used to get random calls from our housing association saying we were in arrears when we knew we weren't. Found out in the end, they were only thinking that, as they were checking thee account like...days before the housing benefit payment went in (so it would show like..-300 for example. But they knew a housing benfit payment of 300 was going in in a day...so..lack of common sense on their part really). It might be worth her asking them if they are claiming shes in arrears AFTER taking the benefits into account tbh. And definitely get a statement of payments made.

Ontop of this, she shouldnt be stressing so much really. When we were going through that, I had a CAB appointment as I was worried about being evicted despite not being in debt. They said its really really hard for housing association/council tenants to actually get evicted, even if they are in debt. Was told basically, could be taken to court but it was almost impossible a judge would go for eviction if I showed willing, by even offering a fiver a month to pay the (imaginary) arrears..


Edit. Quickly checked up on that given it was from memory incase I was giving bad advice...

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/eviction/grounds_for_evicting_housing_association_assured_t enants

Private landlords can kick you out pretty easily for many reasons. HAs are not like that...this is why I have not moved tbh. I would love to move sometimes, but couldnt deal with the insecurity of private rented.

[thesheriff443]

I had friends in a similar situation it’s because the rent is due on one date and her Benefit for rent gets paid on another meaning even though her rent is get paid it is getting paid late
She only has to agree to pay maybe 5 pound a week extra and in time she will get the month in advance

[Kate!]

Thank you everyone.

Vicky thats great advice thank you

Sheriff I'll pass that on to her.

[Kate!]

Had a chat with her and she's going to take Sheriffs advice and offer 5 pounds per week until she's in front. Should get them off her back. Xx

[bitontheslide]

i've noticed a few places like hmrc being quicker to ask for tax payments than they used to, and i think it's because a lot of institutions are just skint now so they will push for prompt/early payment and see who coughs up

[Kate!]

i've noticed a few places like hmrc being quicker to ask for tax payments than they used to, and i think it's because a lot of institutions are just skint now so they will push for prompt/early payment and see who coughs up

TV licensing are swines for this.

[parmnion]

Pay nothing until this is all over...have the money ready though.