Tory support for private landlord reform

Posted: 22 Oct 2009 13:37:07 GMT

A reform that would help landlords who are risking unnecessarily high rental arrears due to the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) will now be backed by the Conservative Party, the National Landlords Association (NLA) has announced.

>The NLA lobbied the shadow party for the change that would mean tenants could choose how their housing benefit is paid - either to themselves or directly to the private landlord of the property.

"If a tenant wants their rent to go directly to their landlord - and this might be for a number of reasons - then this should be permitted within the rules," explained David Salusbury, chairman of the NLA.

Introduced in April 2008, the LHA replaced the way in which housing benefit was paid to those renting accommodation from a private landlord.

The level of benefit a tenant will receive from the LHA will depend on the location, composition and size of the property.


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