§ Mr. Bestasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which a local authority may (i) withhold housing benefit from an assessed recipient if it is shown that the recipient is not paying rent to the landlord in private rented property and (ii) pay housing benefit directly to a landlord of an assessed recipient as rent in the event of non-payment of rent when the recipient does not consent to such a course of action.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe housing benefits regulations provide that a local authority may withhold payment of a rent allowance if it is satisfied that the claimant is not paying his rent regularly. Payment will be reinstated when the authority is satisfied that the claimant will discharge, on receipt of the money, his liability to his landlord.
A rent allowance may be paid direct to the landlord without the tenant's consent if the tenant is 13 weeks, or more, in arrears with his rent. Payment must be made direct to the landlord where an authority has been notified that the DHSS local office is paying to the landlord an amount towards'arrears, deducted from the claimant's supplementary benefit.