Universal Credit and rented housing

If you pay rent to a landlord, Universal Credit may include money towards your rent payments (known as housing costs) and you will be responsible for paying your rent direct to your landlord.

If a tenant's rent arrears reach the equivalent of 2 months rent, the landlord (or the claimant) can ask the Department for Work and Pensions to consider if an Alternative Payment Arrangement would be an appropriate course of action.  If such a request is successful it will result in the housing costs element of Universal Credit being direct to the landlord.

More information on Universal Credit and housing costs can be found in the Related Sites section of this page.