How Universal Credit hurts landlords

Universal Credit is set to change the way that landlords are paid rent by tenants who receive benefits – and not necessarily for the better.

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Shameless or shameful? Many claimants struggle with the system
(Image credit: Credit: AF archive / Alamy Stock Photo)

Universal Credit (UC), a monthly sum paid to people who are unemployed or in low-income jobs, is set to change the way that landlords are paid rent by tenants who receive benefits and not necessarily for the better, at least from the landlord's point of view.

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Emma Lunn

Emma Lunn is a multi-award-winning journalist who specialises in personal finance and consumer issues. With more than 18 years’ experience in personal finance, Emma has covered topics including mortgages, first-time buyers, leasehold, banking, debt, budgeting, broadband, energy, pensions and investments. Emma’s one of the most prolific freelance personal finance journalists with a back catalogue of work in newspapers such as The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, the Mail on Sunday and the Mirror. As a freelancer she has also completed various in-house contracts at The Guardian, The Independent, Mortgage Solutions, Orange and Moneywise. 

She also writes regularly for specialist magazines and websites such as Property Hub, Mortgage Strategy and YourMoney.com. She’s particularly proud of her work writing about the leasehold sector and a Guardian front-page story about a dodgy landlord. She has a real passion for helping people learn about money – especially when many people are struggling to get by in today’s challenging economic climate – and prides herself on simplifying complex subjects.