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I beg to disagree.
Reg 90 says that payment shall be made (insofar as it is practicable to do so) at the END OF THE PERIOD IN RESPECT OF WHICH IT IS MADE.
Therefore, if payment is to be made direct to a landlord every 4 weeks, then it should be made AT THE END OF THE 4 WEEK PERIOD - not at the beginning of the next 4 week period (which would be the 5th week).
The main problem with this payment cycle is that even if a payment is sent to a landlord at the end of the 4th week, it will not be credited to the rent account until the beginning of 5th week, by which time the 5th week's rent has fallen due, so there will be a week's arrears showing as a minimum throughout the tenancy. Some local authorities who make the payment in the 5th week make it towards the end of that week, which means that it isn't credited to the rent account until the beginning of the 6th week - meaning two weeks arrears showing. And, of course, the arrears increase until the next payment is made.
Perhaps there is nothing to stop an authority considering that the 4th benefit week is actually the "end" of the 4 week period, and therefore issuing a payment on, say, a Tuesday (which is a day after that benefit week has started). It could then be credited to the rent account by the landlord at the end of that week, and the rent account would therefore be wholly accurate.
This has recently been raise don the hbinfo website, so you might look at that as well.
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