UC - Urgent update for tenants
Friday 10 April 2026
URGENT MESSAGE FOR TENANTS – PLEASE READ
We are aware of an issue affecting some tenants who receive Universal Credit and whose rent is paid directly to us (called an APA).
If you report a change to your housing costs yourself, instead of waiting for Universal Credit to ask you to do so, the UC system is automatically cancelling the APA.
This means:
- Your housing costs may be paid directly to you instead of coming straight to us
- No payment is made to us for your rent
- You’re at risk of going into arrears
- In some cases, the money may already have been spent, leaving rent unpaid
Please wait for Universal Credit to add a task to your journal, asking you to update your housing costs. DO NOT report a change to your housing costs unless instructed to do so.
If housing costs are paid to you by mistake or have any queries, please contact us immediately on 0300 777 0000.
We are working closely with Universal Credit to resolve affected cases and support tenants.