Claimants can now object to landlords' requests to recover rent and service charge arrears from UC payments

Universal Credit claimants can now object to a landlord's request to recover rent and service charge arrears from their Universal Credit payments, according to guidance updated by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 10 June 2026¹. The change was made to the "Other debts you owe, 'third party deductions'" section of the department's guidance on money taken off Universal Credit payments¹.

Third party deductions are amounts taken from a Universal Credit payment to cover debts including utilities, Council Tax, child maintenance, rent, service charges and court fines¹. Only three such deductions can be taken at any one time, and Universal Credit sends a message in the claimant's online journal when one starts¹. The guidance states that Universal Credit will tell a claimant if their landlord makes a request for a deduction, and that the claimant then has seven days to sign in to their Universal Credit account and say whether they object¹. If they do not respond, the deduction may be made anyway¹.

A claimant can object if they are in a dispute with their landlord about repairs, if they owe less than a certain amount of rent and service charge arrears, or if they do not owe any arrears¹. On the amount, the guidance says a claimant can object if their arrears add up to less than two months' rent and service charges, or just rent where the home has no service charges¹. Arrears can be from rent, service charges, or both, and can arise from not paying at all or from paying less than owed over time; other money owed to the landlord does not count towards the total¹. Deductions are only made for arrears on the claimant's current home¹.

After objecting, a claimant has a further seven days to provide correct evidence, and payments stop until a decision is made¹. Evidence must be an up-to-date record of payments to the landlord, such as rent books or rent and service charge statements or invoices; bank statements are not usually accepted, though they may be accepted where no arrears are owed or where the landlord's records need to be shown to be incorrect¹. For disrepair disputes, emails, documents and letters are accepted, but screenshots or downloads of texts or instant messages such as WhatsApp are not¹. A Universal Credit agent decides whether to apply the deduction, and the decision is sent as a journal message¹.

The guidance also sets out how much can be taken. Universal Credit calculates the amount at the end of every assessment period, which is one calendar month, and the amount may change if earnings or other benefits change¹. Normally the most that can be taken to repay a debt is 15% of the Universal Credit standard allowance, the basic amount before additions such as childcare and housing costs¹. More than 15% may be taken where a "last resort deduction" applies, which the guidance says helps claimants meet child maintenance obligations and prevents eviction or utilities being cut off¹. The page's update history records that the 15% figure replaced 25% on 30 April 2025, and that 25% had replaced 30% on 12 April 2021¹.

Why it matters for households

The change gives Universal Credit claimants in England, Scotland and Wales a formal route to challenge a landlord's request before money is taken from their payment¹. The guidance applies to England, Scotland and Wales, with separate guidance for Northern Ireland¹. The practical effect is time-limited: a claimant has seven days from being told of the landlord's request to object, and a further seven days to supply evidence, with payments stopping until the decision is made¹. The objection route is limited to current-home arrears below two months' rent and service charges, and to cases involving a repairs dispute or no arrears at all¹. Deductions remain capped at three at any one time, and normally at 15% of the standard allowance¹. The guidance also notes that claimants struggling to repay can ask for a financial hardship decision to reduce the amount of benefit debt they pay, which if granted is applied automatically to the next assessment period¹. More general help on benefits is available.

What happens next

The guidance does not set out any further scheduled changes. Its update history lists the 10 June 2026 addition, the 30 April 2025 clarification on last resort deductions and child maintenance, the 30 April 2025 change to the 15% cap, the 12 April 2021 change to 25%, and first publication on 8 October 2020¹. No commencement date for the objection route beyond the 10 June 2026 update has been reported¹.