Written question WQ82954
- Asked by
- Janet Finch-SaundersConservative
- To be answered by
- Minister for Climate Change
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 8 days
Question
Will the Minister state what financial support is available to tenants who are in receipt of housing related benefits, and who have fallen behind on their payments by eight weeks or more as a consequence of the pandemic, between 1 March 2020 and 30 June 2021?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Climate Change
Tenants who are in receipt of housing related support that is Housing Benefit or Universal Credit which includes housing costs can apply to their Local Authority benefit department for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) to assist with any arrears they may have accrued.
Furthermore, a tenant can also apply to have future rent commitments paid directly to their landlord to prevent accruing further arrears.
To assist local authorities meet the extra demand likely to be generated this year as a consequence of Covid-19 and the reduction by the UK Government in DHP allocation to Welsh local authorities of almost £3.9m, I have allocated an additional £4.1m funding to top up DHP funding and help local authorities support tenants in rent arrears. This will also help mitigate the removal of the additional £20 per week in universal credit by the UK Government in September.