I should point out that local housing allowance is paid directly to tenants and not to private landlords (8 April, page 13).

Under the current regime, tenants – often vulnerable ones – can elect to have housing benefit paid directly to property owners. This helps avoid the possible diversion of rent.

It would be better if tenants could still indicate a preference for this to happen under any new scheme. It’s true that direct payment of local housing allowance to landlords will be permitted where local authorities accept that it is in a client’s best interests (but differing standards of proof are required for this); and where eight weeks’ arrears have accrued.

In the case of one of the pilot local authorities, Edinburgh, direct payment can be requested at four weeks arrears – a far more sensible figure if more tenancies are to be sustained, and the potential loss of public funds is to be reduced.

On a completely different subject, I’d also like to point out a digital camera is not the ideal piece of equipment when visiting tenants in their homes (8 April, page 37).

It would be better to use a video, as there can be doubts about the admissibility of digital images as evidence, because they can be enhanced or manipulated.

Christopher Imriem, Comment via Housing Today website

Source

Housing Today