Council saying they have not received any rent payment (housing element) from UC

mikedean
mikedean Online Community Member Posts: 2 Listener
edited August 10 in Universal Credit (UC)

Moved from ESA to UC. First statement and payment was on 5th August and it said housing element had been paid directly to council.

However on Friday I checked rent account and I could not see any payment. I called council and they said they had received anything and I should call UC. I messaged UC journal and agent said everything in statement has been paid on 5th August and housing element as well.

Getting worried now as both are passing responsibility to each other and now into rent arrears. What can I do legaally to cover myself? Should I email council saying it’s their responsibility to collect payment?


when is housing element paid?

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Comments

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 4,877 Championing

    Hi,

    It's your responsibility to pay the council, not their responsibility to collect payment. If you want to cover yourself legally, have UC pay you the full amount then pay the rent yourself. This is what I do as I simply don't trust the council or DWP to do anything correctly.

    Housing Element should be paid on the same day as your own UC is paid. Although different banks can show it at different times, it shouldn't be more than a day different.

    UC are at fault here if they haven't paid the housing costs correctly. I would check the council rent account again on Monday. If it's still not showing then contact UC again and double check the payment details that they have for the council.

  • Storm25
    Storm25 Online Community Member Posts: 37 Connected

    Could you check your bank account to see whether you were paid UC + housing into your bank account (rather than the housing element paid direct to the council)?

  • mikedean
    mikedean Online Community Member Posts: 2 Listener
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1057218#Comment_1057218

    hi yes I have checked bank and housing element not been paid there.

    I called UC and they are adamant it has been paid directly to council but council says they have not got anything yet and to ask UC. Not sure what to do.

  • Hopeless
    Hopeless Online Community Member, Scope Member Posts: 915 Empowering

    I had a similar problem with my first UC payment - my rent account wasn’t showing that my housing element had been paid though my statement said it had. I contacted both UC and my landlord (council housing). In my case my landlord was able to confirm payment had been received but said it takes a few days to show on the rent account. It did appear soon after. The reply from UC may explain what has happened in your case - they said that payment had gone though but sometimes they do ‘batch payments’ to social landlords which in my case would be in the last week of the month. I didn’t understand this so looked it up and sometimes UC send social landlords a big payment once a month of every tenant who has alternative payments set up. I wonder if this has happened to you? I couldn’t find any information on why or when this happens versus individual payment.

  • Tumilty
    Tumilty Online Community Member Posts: 401 Empowering

    I have an advisor that helps me who works for housing association, I'm sure there must be for your council.

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