Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the payments of rent to Housing Associations in cases where alternative payment arrangements are in place are regular and without delay.

Requests for Managed Payments to Landlords (MPTLs) are dealt with as a priority, and the majority of MPTL cases are processed within the assessment period in which they are received. The processing time of these requests is also regularly monitored.

We are currently rolling out the Landlord Portal and Trusted Partner status. Trusted Partner status allows social landlords to apply for a MPTL via the portal with the application accepted without challenge. Social landlords not on the portal can request MPTL from the start of the claim when completing the housing verification form.

We have listened to concerns from Social landlords about the payment process for Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs) which are currently paid on a four weekly basis using the Third Party Payment system. We are working to address the issues this causes and developing a strategic solution. This is a priority for us and we understand the importance of a new payment system for the landlords who rely on it.