A housing benefit pilot study has helped a group of registered social landlords cut benefit arrears as much as 75%.
A report on the scheme found it had improved the quality of housing benefit claims and shortened processing times by checking the information provided by tenants to back up their claims. In one RSL the percentage of arrears related to housing benefit fell from 75% to 19% – an improvement of 75%.

National Housing Federation policy officer Fola Ogunjobi said the pilot had been very popular with NHF members. But he added: "Most of the claims dealt with in the report tended to be new claims. Some of our members felt that when there were more benefit renewal cases there might be an issue of more workload."

The report also questioned the certainty of the financial benefits of the scheme and said the pilots had not helped council staff to improve their service to non-pilot claimants. It said possible risks of the scheme included a lack of associations in convenient locations and RSLs' ability to perform the verification.

The voluntary scheme is to be rolled out nationally next month.

The NHF expects it to be popular.

The Department of Work and Pensions anticipates the savings to councils will cover running costs.

Source

Housing Today

Postscript

  • Pensioners in Stockton on Tees and Dundee have become the first to have their pensions paid directly into their bank accounts. The DWP hopes to pay all benefits like this by 2005.
  • Read The RSL Verification Framework Pilot – An Evaluation at www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit