Universal Credit - Housing #confused

[Blueeyes91]

Hey all!

I'm still fairly new to UC and I'm getting confused and anytime I ask a question to help clarify they just confuse me more.

The part that's confusing me most is my housing part. How much they pay towards my rent each month changes, even though my income does not. It's the same every month.

In October last year a note on my journal saying the following:

From 15 October 2021 we'll pay £950.00 of your Universal Credit to your landlord once a month. If your rent is more than this, you'll need to pay the difference.

Was that meant to mean that they'll pay £950 of my rent?

I have a 4 year old daughter and live in a 2 bed flat. And with the energy prices going up I'm getting seriously worried about money now and UC don't seem to want to answer that question. All they respond back with is a confirmation of how much they paid to my landlord and as I say it varies, sometimes it's -£100, but it's also been close to -£500.

Thanks for any advice people can give!

What does it say on your monthly UC statement?

My latest one says this.

Did the note that said the below just mean that they'd only look at £950 of my rent?

From 15 October 2021 we'll pay £950.00 of your Universal Credit to your landlord once a month. If your rent is more than this, you'll need to pay the difference.

Does your assessment period for UC overlap with the monthly payment of your rent? This may be an explanation for a slightly odd number in your UC payment.

As the statement says the amount UC will pay for your rent is capped by your location. You will need to find the extra out of other income. I’m assuming given the huge difference between your rent and the LHA this is a private rental. Are you on the council list? If not then I’d explore this option as council rents are more closely pegged to LHA levels.

is there a reason why the rent is paid direct to the landlord as this is not the norm these days

So they're telling you that although your rent is £1050, your local housing allowance is £950, so no matter how little you earn, they won't pay that £100. Then, they've done their calculations and worked out that they should only pay £728 towards your rent, so you have to find the rest.

That's not your full statement. What does the rest say?

Do you work as well OP?

Do you work and are you paid monthly? If so then what you get might depend on whether your assessment period falls in a 4 week or a 5 week month.

Mine pays the same amount towards my rent each month but deducts from the overall award for my earnings. Has your rent recently changed?

It's your local housing price cap. I think what they've done is gone off your wages that month and say they will pay £726 but not £950 which is your local housing cap.

Do they pay it straight to your landlord or is it including in the amount they give you for you to pay?

Is your rent calculated weekly? This will change depending on whether it's a 4 week or a 5 week month?