Welfare reform and UC

Each year since proposals to radically overhaul the benefits system were introduced by the 2010-2015 coalition government, the NFA has collaborated with partners ARCH to track the impact of welfare reform on council tenants and their landlords.

The housing element of the single Universal Credit that replaced a number of benefits, including housing benefit – particularly how it is calculated and how it is paid – has been of crucial importance to social housing landlords.

This highly respected and much-cited suite of surveys stretches back to 2013 when the first Universal Credit pilot programmes were launched.

2 August 2023: Council landlords report rising arrears and increasing pressure on their homelessness and housing advice services as tenants struggle to cope with the cost of living. This joint survey from the NFA and ARCH, the body that represents councils with housing stock, is based on a substantial sample of data from around 300,000 council homes – about 30% of the sector.

On the Edge: Cost-of-living findings from the council housing sector Read More »

UC - Heads above water 2021

How council tenants and landlords have fared through the pandemic. We report worrying signs that the pandemic has negatively affected tenants, with increased foodbank use, demand for hardship grants and discretionary housing payments.

Heads above water Read More »