When can Universal Credit be paid directly to a landlord?

Direct payment, referred to by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as a “managed payment to landlord (MPL)” of Universal Credit (UC) to a landlord can be made when any of the following apply:

• a claimant is in arrears with their rent for an amount equal to, or more than, two months of their rent
• a claimant has continually underpaid their rent over a period of time, and they have accrued arrears of an amount equal to or more than one month’s rent
• any of the other Tier 1 and Tier 2 Alternative Payment Arrangements APA factors apply
• a claimant was previously in receipt of Housing Benefit and it was paid to their private landlord, an MPL can be considered providing the claimant continues to meet the Tier 1 or Tier 2 APA factors. This is part of the conversation UC staff will have with the claimant at the start of the claim.

Landlords can request a direct payment online here. Further information on UC can be found in SAL’s factsheet   (members please remember to log in to access our factsheets) and also in the DWP’s February newsletter for landlords.

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