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Guidance

Universal Credit and landlords

Guidance for landlords on Universal Credit and rented housing

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Work and Pensions
Published:
1 August 2016
Last updated:
10 June 2026
Show all updates

  1. Added new information to the 'Recovering rent arrears from a Universal Credit claim' section. Universal Credit (UC) claimants can now object to landlords' requests to recover rent and service charge arrears from their UC payments.

  2. Managed payment to landlord (MPTL) process now allows claimant tenants in the social rental sector to object to the creation of the MPTL. Guidance has been updated for clarity about when landlords can request MPTL and how long the claimant has to object and provide evidence.

  3. The most that can be taken from your Universal Credit payment to pay rent arrears has changed from 20% to 15% of your Universal Credit standard allowance.

  4. Added what social rented sector landlords should add to their annual rent change letters.

  5. Updated third party contact centre contact details: removed phone number and added email address.

  6. Added a link to the new service ‘Apply for direct payment of rent’ which replaces the UC47 form.

  7. Universal Credit and rented housing: guide for landlords, content refreshed.

  8. Added links to 'Alternative Payment Arrangements' information and 'Universal Credit: service charges – guidance for landlords' as they have now have their own pages. 'Universal Credit and rented housing: guide for landlords' updated to include links to the Universal Credit Landlords Portal.

  9. Removed guidance for social landlords on reporting April 2019 rent changes as it in longer relevant.

  10. Updated 'Universal Credit: April 2019 rent changes for social landlords' attachment with information for claimants about reporting changes using their online accounts, and revised information for social landlords.

  11. Added a link in the 'Universal Credit and rented housing: guide for landlords' attachment to the Universal Credit consent and disclosure information guide.

  12. Removed the section 'DWP details not matching the tenant'.

  13. Removed the Universal Credit housing costs and disclosure guide for landlords to correct some out of date content.

  14. Updated the Universal Credit and rented housing: guide for landlords and Alternative Payment Arangements guides following introduction of the new 'Help to Claim' service.

  15. 'Help to Claim' information added to the Universal Credit and rented housing: guide for landlords, and Alternative Payment Arrangements attachments.

  16. Updated the Universal Credit and rented housing: guide for landlords, and Alternative Pay Arrangements (APA) content.

  17. Added guidance for social landlords about April 2019 rent changes.

  18. Removed guidance and template form relating to the October 2018 rent changes.

  19. Removed references to Universal Credit full and live service.

  20. Removed 18 to 21 year old housing information due to new policy starting 31 December.

  21. Updated to show that Universal Credit is now available everywhere in Great Britain.

  22. Added updated Welsh version of the personal budgeting support and alternative payment arrangement guidance.

  23. Replaced 'Personal Budgeting Support and Alternative Payment Arrangements' guide with a new version. Changes are on page 7 – 2 additional bullets have been added under the heading “When can a Managed Payment to a landlord be requested?”.

  24. Added social rented sector: reporting October 2018 rent changes: advice for landlords.

  25. Updated the Welsh Universal Credit personal budgeting support and alternative payment arrangements PDF(Cymorth Cyllidebu Personol a Threfniadau Talu Amgen).

  26. Updated information about managed payment requests on page 9 of the Personal Budgeting Support and Alternative Payment Arrangements PDF.

  27. Added information about Universal Credit claimants transferring to full service declaring and re verifying their housing costs.

  28. Updated to reflect that when private landlords apply for an Alternative Payment Arrangement on the UC47 due to a tier 1 factor only, they need to complete the secure version of the form and post to DWP.

  29. Amended information to take into account Universal Credit and temporary accommodation changes from 11 April 2018.

  30. Removed example in the 'Alternative Payment Arrangements and Personal Budgeting Support' guide about Alternative Payment Arrangements for someone living in supported accommodation who has an appointee as it is no longer applicable.

  31. Updated 'Universal Credit and rented housing: guide for landlords' to include information on temporary accommodation in sections 2.2 and 3.2. Also added more information about the Universal Credit first payment in section 3.2.

  32. Universal Credit and rented housing: guide for landlords – removed link to UC47 form and replaced it with a link to the online service in section 9 of English version. Replaced 'Personal budgeting and alternative payment arrangements' with updated PDF.

  33. Amended the time the first payment will usually be received after claim is submitted. This has changed from 1 month and 14 days to 1 month and 7 days.

  34. Updated Social rented sector advice for landlords relating to April 2018 rent changes.

  35. Revised due to ongoing roll out of Universal Credit full service, this means live service areas stopped taking new claims from 1 January 2018.

  36. Updated guides with new 0800 freephone numbers for Universal Credit.

  37. Added link to the online service to request managed payment or rent arrears deduction from a tenant's Universal Credit (8.3) (English and Welsh).

  38. Added information about reference numbers for tenants.

  39. Published guidance for social landlords on reporting October 2017 rent changes in the social rented sector.

  40. Universal Credit and rented housing: guide for landlords updated.

  41. Added content about Universal Credit and housing costs for 18 to 21 year olds.

  42. Added information for Social Rented Sector landlords in relation to April 2017 rent changes.

  43. Welsh version of social landlord support pack updated.

  44. Social landlord support pack updated.

  45. Added new version of social landlord support pack.

  46. Added information and link to Money Advice Service money manager.

  47. Added new version of Universal Credit housing costs and disclosure: guide for landlords.

  48. Added Universal Credit housing costs and disclosure guidance information.

  49. Added new section on Discretionary Housing Payments and updated link to rent arrears form in the English and Welsh HTML guide for landlords.

  50. First published.

Documents

Universal Credit and rented housing: guide for landlords

HTML

Details

Information for landlords about Universal Credit to help them understand what they can do to help their tenants prepare for:

  • their move to the single Universal Credit benefit payment
  • making payments of their housing costs (rent) direct to their landlord themselves

It also explains what support is available for tenants who may need help moving to the new system.

Read about alternative payment arrangements. 

Read service charges guidance for landlords.

If a tenant is having difficulty paying their rent, landlords can apply for a managed payment to landlord using the Apply for a Direct Rent Payment service to request payment of rent from a tenant’s Universal Credit.

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