If you receive Universal Credit towards your rent, you can still use CreditLadder as long as you pay some of your rent from your bank account directly to the landlord/agent.
There are a few important things to know:
1. We can only report a regular payment
If the amount you pay towards your rent changes significantly each month, we won’t be able to report your rent payments. This is because we need to match the amount you pay from your bank account with the rent amount due.
2. Only enter the amount you pay from your bank
When setting up your rent reporting, only enter the amount you pay towards your rent from your bank account.
You should not include the Universal Credit amount if that is paid directly to the landlord/agent.
3. Let us know if your payments change
If the amount you pay towards your rent changes, you will need to let us know as soon as possible to keep your account accurate and up to date. To do so see here.
This applies even if the change is only a small amount. We need to make sure the rent amount on your account matches what you pay from your bank.
4. We can't report a full rent payment paid directly from UC to your landlord or agent
If the full rent amount is paid by Universal Credit directly to your landlord or letting agent, we can’t report that payment because the rent payment hasn’t come from your bank account.
We can only report the rent payments that you personally pay from your bank account.
5. Payment breaks and rent-free months
If you have a payment break or a rent-free month, please provide proof to confirm this as soon as possible.
This is important so we can keep your account up to date and avoid incorrectly recording a missed or late payment.
If your circumstances change, please let us know so we can make sure your account is up to date. For any questions, you can contact us at help@creditladder.co.uk.