Confusion over my transitional protection

Hopeless85
Hopeless85 Online Community Member Posts: 29 Connected
in Universal Credit (UC)

Please bear with me I'm incredibly anixous and not coping so well.

I was migrated from esa to uc last year. So I received transitional protection.

My lha is £875 and my rent is £1000 meaning I havd a £125 top up.

My landlord has just informed me that my rent is going up by £125. I know that this will erode my transitional protection but I'm confused about how.

Do they take that money away from me and I have to find the £125 from somewhere else? Like not out of my uc payment. So I'm not only getting a rent increase of £125 but also losing £125 transitional., so I'm down £250???

Or is it taken from transitional, meaning it's not protected any more, but I still can use that money for the rent increase?

Please help I'm sick to my stomach with worry and haven't slept since I found out.

Is it is kinda just moved and the amount is no longer protected but I can still pay rent with it? Or is it totally deleted from my account and my over all figure every month will be £125 less (and with my rent increase, another £150, I'm down £250).

I hope I've explained this ok.

Thank you in advance for your time and help.

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Comments

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 8,558 Championing
    edited March 27

    From your figures it looks like the maximum you can claim in Housing Element is £875.

    So when your rent goes up by £125, your Housing Element will still be £875 and you'll need to pay an increased top up of £250.

    Because your Housing Element won't increase, your Transitional Protection won't decrease.

  • Hopeless85
    Hopeless85 Online Community Member Posts: 29 Connected

    Ok thank you, so at least it won't effect my transitional element as such.

    I don't know if it's ok to ask this here or if you'll know the answers but I'm hoping it's ok to ask. But can you help with any of the following questions please…

    My landlord has just this evening (26th March 2026) sent me a new 12 month tenancy agreement that he wants me to sign. He's putting the rent up by £125, which I cant afford. I pay rent on the 24th of every month. He's put on the tenancy for the new date and new increase to start on the 24th of April 2026. My questions are....

    Does he not legally have to give me a month's notice, even if it's in a new tenancy agreement? And if so the 26th March (today when he sent it at 11pm) to the 24th April isn't a month's notice, is it?
    So it would have to start on the 24th of May right? Which means the 12 month tenancy would be invalid because of the new renters reform Bill?

    If it is a month's notice, although I'm sure it's not, and I do sign the tenancy, what happens on the 1st May? Does the 12 month tenancy become invalid anyway?

    Also I can't afford the £125 increase. My rent is already £1000 and uc pay £875 and I pay the rest, I just can't find another £125, but, I also can't afford to move. If he has to do the increase after the 1st May (because he didn't give me a month's notice) is there a way to limit his increase? Or any new rules I should be aware of?

    Thank you in advance for your time and help.

  • Lauren29
    Lauren29 Online Community Member Posts: 243 Empowering

    You may want to contact a local advice agency such as CAB or if your council has one a Welfare Rights Unit as housing is a complex area to advise on. There is some useful information on the Shelter website at Private renting - Shelter England. If you are struggling to pay the rent have you considered applying for a Discretionary Housing Payment from your local council? Again there is information on the Shelter website at Discretionary housing payments (DHP) - Shelter England.

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