‘Startling’ rise in demand for help with rent arrears Citizens Advice: Service says Universal Credit roll-out mostly to blame for ‘worrying trend’

The roll-out of Universal Credit has contributed to a “startling” rise in the number of people seeking advice about rent arrears, according to new figures.

Findings from a report by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) yesterday showed recent changes to the social security system, namely Universal Credit, are predominantly to blame.

CAS spokesman Rob Gowans said: “The rise in rent arrears is one of the most worrying trends we see across the Citizens Advice Bureau network.

“While there are a number of factors driving this, we have no doubt the flaws in Universal Credit are one of the main ones.

“For the past 18 months we have been calling for a halt and fix to Universal Credit.

“We have set out again today the key flaws that need to be addressed, including reducing the waiting period before payment, cutting out processing delays and reducing deductions.

“These are relatively simple changes that could make a huge difference to millions of people.”

From 2012/13 there were 5,340 people seeking advice after getting into difficulty with rent payments, while in 2016/17 that number was 7,856 – a rise of 47%.

In the Aberdeen office, acting deputy manager Kate Dean said they had seen a “startling increase” in demand for advice.

She added: “Universal Credit has a five or six-week delay in getting your first payment, so people can easily fall into arrears if they have nothing else to fall back on.

“We would urge anyone getting into financial difficulty to come to us for advice in the first instance – we have money advisors and we could try and negotiate with creditors to work out a solution.

“If people are further down the line and are facing eviction notices, then we would refer them to Shelter – but we would want to try and help before it reaches that stage.”

The report also calls for efforts to be made to keep accommodation affordable.

Councillor Victoria Harper of Aberdeenshire Council has previously spoken about her own experiences of financial hardship and said she was “saddened” but “not surprised” by the figures.

She added: “To have so many people living in hunger and facing housing issues due to a benefit system change is an utter disgrace.”