BREAKING: DWP launches online system for APAs to replace unpopular UC47 forms

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The department has launched the system today in partnership with UK firm Caridon Landlord Systems, enabling landlords and tenants to apply online for the housing element of Universal Credit to be paid direct.

The Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) has launched an online platform that enables landlords to apply online for housing benefit to be paid directly to them.

This system, which has been under development for many months, means landlords can organise Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs) online instead of using the notoriously complicated UC47 forms, which can take hours to fill in and up to three weeks to be processed.

APAs are for claimants who cannot manage their single monthly payment and where there is a risk of financial harm to the claimant or their family.

The new system cannot come soon enough for some landlords, who have become increasingly exasperated that DWP case managers often fail to respond directly to landlords about claims.

Developed in partnership with Croydon-based Caridon Landlord Solutions, the new system provides landlords and tenants with a much simpler tool to request that the housing element of UC is paid direct to a landlord.

As LandlordZONE has reported on many occasions in the past, the old paper-based UC47 forms have been criticised for being difficult to fill in, taking weeks to process and that, often, applications simply disappeared down administrational rabbit holes after arriving at the DWP.

“Given how stretched DWP’s resources are as a result of the pandemic, it is fantastic that they have managed to launch this important improvement to the system which will help those struggling to manage their finances,” says Sherrelle Collman, MD of Caridon.

Her company, which is a specialist UC consultancy for landlords, says it will be working with its clients in the coming days and weeks to get them set up on the new system.

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Call of the week – Viewings and cleaning properties

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This week we helped one of our members with a question they had about their property and managing it in light of the latest guidance. On Wednesday, the government released new guidance around carrying out viewings in properties. The guidance applies to England only. It makes clear that initial viewings should be done virtually where […]

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Much faster new DWP system for direct Universal Credit payments to Landlords

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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has now launched a new online system to allow rent payments, from tenants in receipt of Universal Credit, to be paid directly to Private Rented Sector (PRS) landlords.  The new system for arranging these Alternative Payment Arrangements replaces the two existing UC47 forms cutting the processing time down from in excess of three weeks to just two hours in some cases.

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Blog: Does anyone like Labour’s lockdown exit plans for private renting?

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With the first tentative moves towards the lifting of lockdown measures in England and Wales, albeit at very different paces, we got our first glimpse of Labour’s proposals for the private rented sector. Shadow Housing Minister Thangam Debboinaire MP, issued a five point plan to protect renters when the effective ban on evictions is lifted […]

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Rental wellbeing helpline opened

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Rental deposit replacement scheme, Ome, has brought forward the launch of their free to use Rental Wellbeing Helpline this week, as the company’s latest research highlights the sharp increase in the affordability of renting for many UK tenants who now find themselves on furlough due to the spread of the Coronavirus.

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Do HMRCs’ manuals contradict themselves? – Property118 TV

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In this episode Mark Alexander joined by Mark Smith, Head of Chambers at Cotswold Barristers, to discuss how HMRC’s manuals might be perceived to contradict themselves in relation to definitions on whether or not rental property owners are regarded as running a business.

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Let’s get back to renting properties, agent tells the nation on TV

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London lettings agent Marc von Grundherr tells the BBC Breakfast show that he’s relieved the market lockdown has been lifted, but worries the ongoing pandemic may spook renters into staying put.

Letting agents and landlords are relieved to see the private rental market begin its path to revival after a seven week hiatus that many feared would drag on into June following last Sunday’s speech by Boris Johnson.

This was the view of a leading letting agent featured on TV this morning, who said he and his sector were poised to help many of the thousands of renters whose plans were held up by the lockdown.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Marc von Grundherr, director of Benham
and Reeves lettings agency in London, said lifting the ban on property viewings
was hugely exciting for the industry. “The property market
has been in suspended animation for the last few months – this is great news,”
he said.

With 450,000 renters and buyers poised to move
home, he said there was a huge amount of pent-up energy.

“This week we’ve had enquiries from people
wanting to move…they don’t just want to move, they need to move. We’re hoping
to be open in the next day or so and trying to move people into homes.”

However, although his agency has PPE equipment, von Grundherr
warned that the industry needed to proceed with caution in order to stick to
guidelines on social distancing and questioned whether viewings could still go
ahead if tenants were socially isolating.

“It’s easy to do viewings in empty properties and
respect social distancing but where people are occupying…there’s still unease,
we’re still wary of people living in properties.”

While March – post-Brexit – had been Benham and Reeves’ busiest month on record, with rising rents, searches have still been going on.

Watch the clip

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ANALYSIS: Rental market re-opens but what happens next for landlords?

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The unfreezing of the private rental market has been welcomed enthusiastically by all the key players but there are challenges ahead as the crisis continues to disrupt many aspects of the lettings process including viewings, referencing and evictions.

Landlords and other players in the private rental market have welcomed the re-opening of the housing market and the much-anticipated green light for people to move home freely within both the sales and lettings sectors.

The government today estimates that there are 450,000 homes moves wating to happen which were delayed by the sudden arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic, many of which are tenants looking to move home.

Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, says: “Tenants will now be able to look for a new home and move into it whilst those landlords who have unexpectedly faced empty properties will be able to put them back on the market.

“It is vital though that all viewings and house moves take place safely and in line with the Government’s guidance. We will continue to work with the Government, landlords and others to ensure that the risks of spreading coronavirus are minimised.”

But the revival of the market is not going to return the rental market to normal conditions, almost all commentators that LandlordZONE has spoken to.

Referencing

“I think one of the biggest issues going forward is going to be referencing,” says Paul Shamplina of Landlord Action.

“Landlords are going to more nervous about taking on tenants when the lockdown is continuing to make job and financial security much less certain for millions of renters.”

Shamplina also believes the re-start of the market will see a flood of new rental stock entering the market and that this is likely to push down rents in the short to medium term. “There is going to be a rush of Airbnb landlords joining or re-joining the long-term rental market because the holiday short-lets market will remain closed for several months,” he says.

“Also, properties that have stood empty during the crisis can now be marketed again.”

But Shamplina wouldn’t be drawn on whether the early restart for the market might persuade the government not the extend the current evictions ban, which runs out next month.

“If there is a further extension of the ban if could be catastrophic for landlords who currently have cases going through the court system,” he says.

“But think overall landlords will be relieved that the market has restarted because on an unofficial level it will enable some to cut deals with non-paying tenants and agree a parting of the ways so that new tenants can be found, something which was hard to do until now during the lockdown.”

Buy-to-let

Nevertheless, buy-to-let investors may view the current situation as an opportunity, says Steve Olejnik, managing director of Mortgages for Business.

“We expect a temporary, short-term fall in prices across London and the south east in the region of about 15%, so there’s no question that if you invest in bricks and mortar now, with a bit of haggling during the process, you are going to see a lot of long-term capital growth. I think values will be back at February 2020 levels by the spring or summer of next year.”

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Covid-19 lockdown tenant vacating advice please?

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My tenant, under a Periodic Tenancy for her room and communal areas of the flat, is saying “I do have the means in which to be able to give you vacant possession by removal of my furniture and personal possessions.” She hasn’t yet qualified exactly what she means though.

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Today in politics: Housing market reopens, plus questions on council tax, repossessions and new coronavirus report

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We look at MHCLG’s decision to reopen the housing market, IPPR calls for a rent freeze and questions on council tax and repossessions.  Housing market opens up again From today anyone in England can move home if they follow new guidance published by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick MP. MHCLG has said that since lockdown restrictions were […]

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