Home Your Rent Universal Credit Updating your Universal Credit journal for April's rent increase

Updating your Universal Credit journal for April's rent increase

If you're on Universal Credit, you get help with your housing costs. You'll need to update your journal with your new rent amount, or you could lose out on the difference.

If you’re a Nottingham City Council or Nottingham City Homes Registered Provider tenant your new rent amount is included on the rent increase notification letter that you'll receive in March. Keep the letter safe as you’ll need it in April.

If you don't report any changes to Universal Credit correctly when your rent increases from the beginning of April, it could lead to delays in payments, and your housing cost element will be underpaid.

Universal Credit will send you a ‘to-do’ on, or after,  Wednesday 1 April called 'confirm your housing cost'. Please do not complete this until Monday 6 April.

 

If you're an NCH Ltd tenant, please look at your rent increase letter for information on how to report your rent increase. 

 

If you're not sure of the type of tenancy you have, your rent increase letter will tell you. Key things to remember are:

  • Wait until you are sent a to-do in April called 'Confirm your housing costs'
  • Use the information in your rent increase letter to complete the to-do before the due date to avoid problems with your payments
  • You must only use the 'Confirm your housing costs' to-do to report these changes. Do not contact Universal Credit to report them any other way. 

These are the steps you need to follow if reporting online:

Date of change - NCC tenant

If you're a Nottingham City Council tenant you are charged weekly and your rent will increase on 6 April, select 'Yes'

UC journal changes 'Date of change' screenshot

Date of change - NCH RP tenant

If you're a NCH RP tenant and your rent is charged monthly, your rent will increase on 1 April, select 'Yes'

 

Changes to your rent

Select 'Yes' and enter the amount in your letter

Changes to your rent screenshot

 

Changes to your service charges

Select 'Yes' and enter the amount in your letter.

It’s really important that you add up your service charges correctly. You may be asked to accept the charges after we have verified them. Please do this, as your rent will not be paid until you do.

Changes to your service charges screenshot

Have a telephone claim?

Please call Universal Credit to report your rent increase on or after Monday 6 April.