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On Wednesday 3rd March, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered his Spring Budget. Acknowledging the devastating impact that the pandemic has had on our way of life, with the economy having shrunk 10%, he reaffirmed his promise to whatever it takes to protect as many jobs businesses and families as possible. Here is a snapshot breakdown of the key points:

A year on since the start of the pandemic, and the scale of hardship caused by Covid-19 is really starting to show as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has revealed the number of people claiming Universal Credit has doubled since start of the pandemic. The data shows that more than a third of claims (39%) since Universal Credit started in 2013 have been made during the pandemic.

Caridon Landlord Solutions is a dedicated service provider specialising in Universal Credit and Housing Benefit advice for private landlords, letting agents and housing associations. We understand that since the expansion of Universal Credit, some landlords have noticed a spike in rent arrears, mainly owing to delays and errors in the initial payment. As a result, landlords are increasingly reluctant to house those reliant on the Welfare System, which can put additional strain on local authorities.

Caridon Landlord Solutions, which provides specialist advice on Universal Credit and Housing Benefit to private landlords, letting agencies and housing associations, says that landlords with tenants in receipt of Universal Credit are struggling to set up Alternative Payment Arrangements because the online Universal Credit landlord portal is closed to new claimants. It is thought this is because the Department for Work and Pension (DWP) is overwhelmed by the number of new claims, but landlords say it is forcing them to consider serving notice on their tenants.

Universal Credit is a payment which is replacing six legacy benefits, and these are: Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), and Working Tax Credit.

It has been another tough start to the year for everyone, including landlords, many of whom have tenants that are unable to pay their rent in full (or at all) due to COVID-19. With many already struggling to cope under the tighter restrictions in the UK, we have been looking into what advice and support is on offer to landlords who may not have explored their options yet.