Hi i am wondering if someone can help me. I have a older couple who are on Guaranteed Pension Credit and are in arrears with the Housing Association they rent their flat from. What is the maximum they can ask to be deducted from their Pension credit?

Any help with this will be great

thanks in advance

if i understand your question correctly, you want to know how much will be stopped from your client's pension credit to be paid to their landlord direct?

in which case the answer is £2.90weekly. i belive i'm right to say that if the rent arrears are above eight weeks rent charge, then the landlord can apply for the deductions without permission from the tenant

I would be looking into why there are in arrears ? Have they only recently started to receive Pension Credit ? Has it been 'backdated' if so Housing Benefit should follow from the same date. Presume you /they are aware of the 52 weeks 'backdating'for Pensioners ?

Hope this helps

Hi No it is actually the heating & hot water charge of 31.47 pcm in arrears as the couple live in sheltered accomadation.

Follow on question:

I have a client who has asked the local authority to take payments for rent directly from their Income Support, but the authority has refused. My cliennt has problems budgeting and has therefore requested that, rather than the 'pay or we evict' line that is coming from the housing department.

Is there any guidance or case law about how LA's should use the discretion they have to request that DWP make direct payments to cover rental charges?

Many thanks...

my understanding is that if the tenant owes eight weeks rent or more in arrears then the tenants permission isnt required to make the request for 3rd party payments. but there are some provisos

the reg is

"social security (claims & payments) regulations 1987. reg 35 and schedule 9 para 5(1)

there is a limit to the number of deductions that can be made to a claimants benefit, so if other authorities have already obtained payments then furthjer requests may be refused