Hostel accommodation - daily/weekly rents

Under reg 76(3), housing benefit claims for hostel residents start from the date of occupation irrespective of when the claim was made (subject to the 12 month limit imposed by SSAA 1992).  This is dependent on payment falling due on a daily basis.

Our charges are calculated on a daily basis, but in some instances expressed as a weekly amount in the license agreement.  We are experiencing some problems in local authorities then treating the rent as not falling due on a daily basis and only awarding HB from the date of claim.  One particular client has been especially difficult to engage with and this has meant the full 12 months HB has not been awarded.

I realise that the way forward is to express the rent on a daily basis in all license agreements, but this would fail to help recover rent arrears in this particular case.  Does anyone have experience of challenging local authorities treatment of daily/weekly rent?  I’m struggling to find any caselaw relating to this matter.

N.B.  Upon leaving the hostel, the rent account ends on the date of vacation.  The local authority insists on awarding HB until the following Sunday, resulting in a credit that needs to be written off (assuming rent account is not in arrears of course).