As some of you may be aware, the old legacy benefits (including Housing Benefit, Employment & Support Allowance, Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit) are ending for working age customers, and those who claim these benefits are migrating over to Universal Credit.  

The only exception to this at the moment is pension aged claimants who will remain on Housing Benefit, unless one claimant in a couple is below pension age, then these couples will migrate over to Universal Credit.

Customers have 12 weeks from receiving their Migration Notice to submit a Universal Credit claim, otherwise rent payments could be delayed or missed altogether.

Universal Credit calculates and pays customers their housing entitlement differently to Housing Benefit which is creating uncertainty for some of our customers.  

We have identified customers of working age who are currently claiming Housing Benefit and are likely to receive a Migration Notice in the coming 12 months, if they haven’t already, and will be offering support and making any required referrals to ensure all customers successfully make their Universal Credit claim and understand how it all works.

If you are struggling with what to do, have received a Migration Notice or have recently started receiving Universal Credit, please call our Customer Service Centre on 0300 003 5454 who will put you in touch with a colleague who can help you.