Are you ready for the roll-out of Universal Credit? Starting in February next year and for the first time in 32 years, help with rent may not be available from the local Council.

The Government has announced:

“Universal Credit is a vision for a new welfare settlement; a welfare state fit for the 21st century…today I can announce that we are going to accelerate the delivery of Universal Credit from the new year, bringing forward the national rollout through 2015/16 to every single community across Great Britain”.

Universal Credit incorporates six current benefits; including Housing Benefit and tax credits. In many areas, up to 90% of tenants are likely to be affected….tenants in full-time work as well as the unemployed.

The rules on making a claim, eligibility, entitlement, payments and overpayments and many others are very different than the current Housing Benefit scheme. Are you ready to advise landlords of the changes? How it will affect your and their business? Would you know where to contact if there are problems? There are just a few weeks left before a change which is the largest in the welfare state for nearly fourty years.

Hbinfo is the largest specialist Housing Benefit information, training and consultancy organisation in the UK. We train thousands of local authority staff every year and offer a specialist service to many professional buy to let private landlords. You can find more information about us at www.hbinfo.org.

A “Universal Credit” special training day for landlords and letting agents will be held by Hbinfo in Birmingham (New St area) on 5 February 2015 and in London in the Euston / Kings Cross area on the 16 February 2015. The fee is £350 plus vat per delegate. Please book online using the booking form links.

If you would like more information or advice on the training courses we offer, please contact Ghita on Ghita@hbinfo.org, telephone number 07890 527 178