Vulnerable tenants

The circumstances when we may pay your LHA directly to your landlord include when a tenant is deemed to be vulnerable. By vulnerable, we mean someone who may have difficulty managing their money. We do not mean someone who does not want to pay their rent themselves. If we decide that you are a vulnerable tenant, we will pay your rent direct to your landlord.

Who decides who is vulnerable?
We decide if you are vulnerable. We must have evidence that you cannot manage your money. The evidence must usually be in writing. People who can give evidence include:

  • you, as the tenant
  • your friends and family
  • your landlord
  • welfare groups (including money advisors)
  • social services
  • your GP
  • probation officers
  • Jobcentre Plus
  • the Pension Service

Who might be vulnerable?
There are many reasons why someone cannot manage their money. We might decide you are a vulnerable tenant if you:

  • have severe debt problems
  • have a recent County Court judgement against you
  • are an undischarged bankrupt
  • are unable to open a bank or building society account
  • have some of your Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance paid direct to the gas, electricity or water company by DWP
  • are homeless or getting help from a homeless charity

We may look into whether you are vulnerable because you:

  • have learning difficulties or you cannot read or speak English
  • have an illness that stops you managing on a day to day basis
  • are addicted to drugs, alcohol or gambling

There may be other reasons why we might decide that someone is vulnerable and we may want to interview you. Ring us on 01395 517446 if you need more information.

Once we have collected evidence, we will decide as quickly as possible if you are vulnerable. We will still pay LHA to you while we are making our decision. We will write to you telling you that you are vulnerable and explain our decision. If you disagree, or if the landlord disagrees, with our decision, you can both PDF file appeal (112KB - 01 October 2008 - PDF Help). The rules for this are the same as the rules for housing benefit.

Page last updated on 6 January 2012