Universal Credit Case Management

Universal Credit (UC) is the working-age benefit administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that combines six legacy benefits — including Housing Benefit — into a single monthly payment paid in arrears, normally directly to the claimant. For a social landlord that means the landlord is no longer the default recipient of the housing element; rent collection now depends on the resident, on Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs) where vulnerability is established, on Managed Payment to Landlord (MPTL) where rent arrears reach the threshold, and on Third Party Deductions (TPDs) for ongoing recovery. The DWP’s Managed Migration of legacy claimants into UC, ending in 2026, is moving every remaining Housing Benefit claimant onto a UC claim that the resident must make themselves.

The operational challenge: a UC case touches Income, Tenancy Sustainment, Welfare Benefits, the contact centre and the resident’s claim with the DWP. Without one shared record, an APA request goes in but nobody knows the outcome, a TPD stops mid-recovery and the arrears grow, or a Managed Migration deadline is missed and a vulnerable resident loses their claim. A single record that holds the claim status, the rent account, the APA / MPTL / TPD history and the resident’s vulnerability flags keeps the rent collected and the resident in their home.