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My tenant is behind on their rent payments - can their benefit be paid directly to me?

In some circumstances it is possible to have payments made directly to the landlord.

We are required to pay direct to landlords if the tenant

• has built up eight weeks or more in rent arrears
• is having deductions taken from their IS/JSA to pay rent arrears.

If your tenant has missed rent payments, you do not need to wait until eight weeks arrears have built up, you should contact us immediately.

As a Council we also have the discretion to pay direct to the landlord if we consider

• the tenant is likely to have difficulty managing their affairs i.e. customer has a learning disorder or drug/alcohol problems
• it is improbable the customer will pay their rent i.e. we are aware the tenant has failed to pay their rent in the past without good reason.

For more information about when we will pay directly to Landlords please read our safeguard policy.

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You can click on the question below to view the answer.

• What is housing benefit?
• What's the difference between housing benefit and Local housing allowance?
• How do I know if my tenant is receiving Housing benefit for Local Housing Allowance?
• My tenant is behind on their rent payments - can their rent be paid directly to me?

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