Worried about mounting rent arrears or debts?

If you're worried about mounting rent arrears or debts:

It's really important to keep talking to us about your situation so that we can help you. You can call us on 0300 5000 926 between 8am and 6pm.
If you're behind on your rent or in debt, then you may be placed on an Alternative Payment Arrangement plan automatically when you apply for Universal Credit. This means that the money you would normally receive in Housing Benefit will still be paid directly to us.
If you feel you should be on an Alternative Payment Arrangement plan and you’re not, please write a note on your journal to ask for this from your case manager or call us on 0300 5000 926 between 8am and 6pm.
You may also be able to get a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) if you get Housing Benefit or Universal Credit and you can’t pay your rent. This is a discretionary extra payment available from your local council. Find out more on the Citizens Advice website .
Don’t forget, if you think you’ll need help with money for training or travel for interviews, ask your work coach about the Flexible Support Fund. There’s also the Advance Payment to help you while you wait. Repayment of the advance will be made from your ongoing UC award at a set amount over 24 months. Find out more here for information about how to apply .

There so much more useful advice available on the internet. Here are a few sites you might like to look at:

Gov.uk for the latest information and updates on Universal Credit
Citizens Advice is a great source of information about Universal Credit and other benefits. They can help and advise you if you have queries, too.
Better Off Calculator is a website that helps you to work out which benefits you are able to claim.
Gingerbread is a charity that provides plenty of useful advice on Universal Credit – in particular, it’s aimed towards single-parent families.