05 November 2004
Councils have been warned not to rush into court action over housing benefit arrears, after research suggested it could be more effective to refer problem tenants for independent debt advice.
The warning comes from the Citizens Advice Bureau in its report Last resort, which reviews the way 287 social landlords linked to councils in England and Wales dealt with rent arrears.
The study, published on November 1, follows a report by the bureau in 2003, which showed that in 71% of cases arrears were linked to problems with the payment of councils' housing benefit.
Liz Phelps, the bureau's social policy officer, said: 'Our evidence shows that where social landlords take a multi-agency approach, with key players such as housing benefit departments and independent advice providers, the need for court action can be significantly reduced.'
The report highlights examples of good practice across local authorities. These include Basingstoke, where a local housing board developed a rent arrears 'protocol', to which all the main social landlords, the housing benefit department and the CAB signed up.
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