Our Money Advice and Rent Payment team recently went above and beyond to help a tenant who was in rent arrears due to an issue with her Universal Credit.
The background
Our tenant, Miss P*, was in significant rent arrears after her Universal Credit was stopped. Her Rent Payment Officer (RPO) noticed this and referred her to our Money Advice team. They then arranged a joint visit to chat with Miss P and better understand how we could help her.
*Names changed for anonymity
How we were able to help
When our RPO and Money Advisor, Jo, visited Miss P at her home it was clear that she was very unwell and had been bedbound at her property for several months.
Having talked through Miss P’s financial struggles, we found out that several things were contributing to her debt, which we were able to support with:
Issue: Miss P’s Universal Credit had been stopped because she had missed an appointment at the Job Centre because of her illness. Miss P hadn’t been well enough to contact them to explain the situation.
Solution: Jo, our Money Advisor managed to get hold of Miss P’s local Advanced Customer Support Senior Leader (ASSCL) at the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), who are able to offer support to the most vulnerable customers on Universal Credit. After making them aware of Miss P’s situation, they put her Universal Credit claim back into payment from when it was stopped, back in August 2024.
As Jo worked closely with Miss P’s ASSCL, we also found that Miss P’s Universal Credit had been sanctioned on and off since July 2022. They supplied medical evidence to challenge to decision and see if they could lift the sanction by way of Mandatory Reconsideration.
Issue: Miss P was receiving letters from Money Enforcement companies trying to collect an unpaid Magistrates Fine from 2022. This was in reference to previous rent arrears, unpaid Council Tax and outstanding TV Licence fees.
Solution: Jo contacted both the Money Enforcement Office and Magistrates Court to make them aware of Miss P’s circumstances and vulnerability. She successfully got the debt returned to the Magistrates Court, to remove the threat of the Money Enforcement Officers visiting Miss P.
Issue: Due to her illness, Miss P is unable to work and therefore has no way of increasing her income.
Solution: Jo continues to work with the ASSCL in order to get Miss P awarded the Limited Capability for Work Related Activity (LCWRA). If it is granted, this means Miss P won’t need to do 'work-related activity' to continue receiving her Universal Credit benefit.
The outcome
We’re really pleased to share that Miss P’s Mandatory Reconsideration was successful and was issued with a backdated payment of £9,862.78.
As the payment Miss P was due to receive was a large sum, our Money Advisor, alongside a supporting colleague and carer, advised her that it would be in her best interest to use the money to pay her priority debts including Rent, outstanding fines, Council Tax and TV Licence, which came to around £3,000 in total.
Miss P agreed to this arrangement and has since contacted us to let us know that all her payments have been made.
To make sure Miss P has long-term support, a referral has been made by our Tenancy Services team and the DWP to Adult Social Services to provide Miss P with on-going financial support.
Jo is still working in closely with the ASSCL team in order to get Miss P awarded with the Limited Capability of Work Related Activity and hopes they'll get a positive outcome.
Miss P’s reaction
“Big Shout out to Jo (Money Advisor) sorted out my benefits for me and my debts. She worked her magic for me and even got my sanctions lifted and backdated money. Cannot thank Jo enough, will forever be in her debt! I can't you enough Jo, you went above and beyond on my behalf and I will be eternally grateful."
What Jo had to say
“To be able to turn Miss P’s finances round in such a short space of time has been one of the most uplifting moments for me as an adviser for Midland Heart. It not only secured her tenancy, but she was also able to pay off all her priority debts and was still left with a substantial amount of money for her and her son. As well as securing her benefit income, additional safeguarding has also been put in place by the Department of Work and Pensions.”
Remember, we're here to support you with any financial worries you might have - so if you need any support with your finances or paying your rent, please give us a call on 0345 60 20 540 or get in touch with your Rent Payment Officer.
