Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all from Breezeplus Legal Solutions

Happy Christmas from all at Breeze & Wyles Solicitors LLP and Breezeplus Legal Solutions. We wish you a prosperous New Year.

The opening hours for Breezeplus Legal Solutions through the week of Christmas are as follows: -

23 December 9am to 5.30pm
24 December 9am to 4.00pm
25 December Closed
28 December Closed
29 December 9am to 5.30pm
30 December 9am to 5.30pm
31 December 9am to 4.00pm
1 January Closed
4 January Normal opening hours

Breezeplus: Does the change to Direct Payments go far enough?

The Government is proposing to change the rules on payments of Local Housing Allowance to allow the Tenant to decide whether to receive the payments directly or direct payment to the Landlord. Please see article at http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/story.aspx?storycode=6507837.

Previously tenants have receive the payment directly without the choice and this has created a significant amount of arrears in the Social and Private Landlord markets.

However, is the change sufficient to enable the Landlord to guarantee receipt of the money. Because the tenant still retains the right to choose where the payment goes then this does not provide sufficient guarantee of receipt to the Landlord.

The tenant is already is financial difficulty having to rely on state assistance to fund payments for basic housing needs. It is unlikely that the rest of their finances are in a positive shape and it may not even be the tenant's choice as to where that funding goes.

The Government should go further and ensure payment directly to the Landlord. It is argued by Yvette Cooper that this is to ensure that tenants interests are protected. Can this be the case?

I would welcome your comments on this.