When speaking to Simon Gordon of the National Landlords Association (NLA) recently at the Landlord & Buy to Let Awards dinner, he was telling me about their lobbying work, and how they attend all of the party conferences. Well it seems as if all this has paid off as the conservative party have now announced that they will reinstate direct rent payments to landlords where housing benefit tenants choose, if they become the next Government.
Of course that is a fairly big if, although some people consider it is a ‘done thing’. The NLA are now calling on the government to bring forward their planned review of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA).
The fact that LHA cannot normally be paid direct to private landlords (although it is paid direct to social landlords and mortgagees) has long been a bone of contention, and, the NLA claim, is a major factor in landlords deciding not to let to tenants on benefit.
NB Until the rules are changed, landlords could always consider suggesting to tenants that they use a Credit Union account for their benefit.