GetUniversal helpCredit withconsent yourand Universaldisclosure Creditof claiminformation

You orcan informationwithdraw aboutthe yourconsent claimfor youa can: representative at any time:

• useby yourmaking journalan inentry on your Universalonline Credit account journal
• speakin toperson, yourat jobcentre an contactappointment orin work coach 
• call the Universal Credit helpline jobcentre

YouOnce must: 

• giveyou consenthave forgiven yourexplicit personalconsent, informationthe representative will need to beconfirm sharedthe withfollowing them 
• outlinedetails whatto receive relevant information about you wantand toyour beUniversal shared 
Credit claim:
• explainyour whyfull the information is needed name
• if they’re your familyaddress member,or frienddate orof neighbour,birth
• what explaininformation theyou person’shave relationshipagreed to you  share
• ifthe they’repurpose fromfor anthe organisation,information givebeing shared
• their name,name organisationor andthe branch,organisation ifthey applicable.belong Ifto you(where cannotthis provide their name, be as specific as possible, for example give their job role or team name within the organisation applies)

You can withdraw your consent at any time. 

If there is any doubt aboutas to the identity of the personrepresentative making the request, DWPno will not give any information aboutwill yourbe claim. disclosed.

Information Departmentthat forwill Worknever andbe Pensionsdisclosed (by DWP) will not give

The following information will never be given byto DWP,a representative, even if you have given explicit consent: consent:

• your address address
• your date of birth birth
• your National Insurance number number
• your bank details (sort code, account number, account holder name) name)
• your telephone numbers numbers
• names of your household members members
• names of your employers or former employers employers

Information

Disclosure thatof caninformation be given to social landlords

Social landlords are providers of social housing. These are usually councils or ‘not for profit’ housing associations. associations.

If you’re unable to manage your money or have fallen into rent arrears, you can arrange for your housing costs to be paid directly to your landlord. In Universal Credit this is called an ‘alternative payment arrangement’. arrangement’.

The following information can be shared with social landlords without needing to give explicit consent: consent:

• the claimant’s alternative payment arrangement information information
• any relevant criminal history that you may have, for example anti-social behaviour or other behaviour adversely affecting the local area area

Social landlords will not be entitled to receive any personal data about you. All requests for information will be considered under the Data Protection Act. Act.

Social landlords may receive the following information: information:

• the start date of your housing payments being paid to the landlord landlord
• when the landlord can expect to receive the first payment payment
• the amount of the next payment of the Universal Credit housing payment towards your rent rent
• if there have been any changes to the amount of housing costs to be paid (the reason for the changes will not be provided or discussed)

Information

Disclosure thatof caninformation be given to private landlords

Private landlords are landlords who usually own the property they are renting out.

TheyPrivate landlords can be: be:

• a company that owns a lot of properties properties
• a person or family that owns one or more properties properties

Private landlords can ask for their tenant’s Universal Credit housing costs to be paid directly to them without the need for explicit consent. consent.

You will be informed that the private landlord has requested that the Universal Credit housing costs be paid directly to them. them.

If you are happy for your Universal Credit housing costs to be paid directly to the landlord, you do not need to reply to give your consent. consent.

The Universal Credit housing costs will then automatically be paid to the landlord each month. If you do not want the rent to be paid directly to the landlord, you can dispute this. this.

You will need to provide evidence that you are not in rent arrears in order to dispute the alternative payment arrangement. arrangement.

Once the direct payment to the private landlord (the alternative payment arrangement) has been set up, the following information can be disclosed to the landlord: landlord:

• the start date of your housing payments being paid to the landlord landlord
• when the landlord can expect to receive the first payment payment
• the amount of the next payment of your Universal Credit housing costs costs
• if there have been any changes to the Universal Credit housing costs.costs The(the reason for the changes will not be provided or discussed discussed)

A private landlord can act as a representative for a claimant but will always need your explicit consent to do so, unless it is for the specific purpose of requesting an alternative payment arrangement.

When DWP can share your information without consent consent

There are circumstances when when DWP can can share your information without explicit consent. These are: are:

• court orders orders
• legal gateways gateways
• MPs engaging with Universal Credit on their constituent’s behalf behalf
• public interest interest

Court orders orders

If a court order is in place, place, DWP does does not need to get your consent to disclose the information requested. requested.

Legal gateways

There is law which allows your personal information to be shared with an organisation if they are acting in a welfare capacity.

For example, DWP can share a claimant’s information with a local authority (and its welfare rights representative) if they are helping the claimant with Personal Budgeting Support and Universal Support.

MPs engaging with Universal Credit on their constituent’s behalf behalf

Any correspondence, (letter, email or phone enquiries) aboutrelating yourto Universal Credit will be answered directly to the MP without the need for your consent. However, it is common practice for MPs to include explicit consent from you when contacting the department in writing. writing.

Public interest interest

Where it is in the best interests of the public, disclosure can be made without your consent,consent. forFor example, ifclaimants youwith have complex needs. These requests for disclosure will usually come from the police or social services.

IfAppointees

Another you’veperson beenor givenorganisation explicitcan consent

Whenapply youfor contactthe Universalright Credit to getdeal advicewith orthe informationUniversal aboutCredit someone’sclaim claim,of yousomeone willwho needcannot tomanage confirm: 

• thetheir claimant’sown fullaffairs name 
• thebecause, claimant’sfor addressexample, orthey datemay ofbe birth 
• whatmentally informationincapable theor claimantseverely hasdisabled.

  Unlike agreeda torepresentative, share 

• thethis purposeis fora thelegally informationbased beingappointment.

  An shared 

appointee can be:
• youran nameindividual, orsuch theas organisationa youfriend belongor torelative (where– thisthese applies) 

Ifare thereknown isas anyindividual doubtor aboutpersonal yourappointees

• an identity,organisation Universalor Creditrepresentative willof notan giveorganisation, anysuch informationas abouta thesolicitor claim.

  Applyor forlocal thecouncil legal– rightthese toare manageknown aas claimcorporate forappointees

Corporate someone 

appointees

YouSome canUniversal applyCredit forclaimants themay rightneed to managehave Universalcorporate Creditappointees, forinstead someoneof whoa cannotpersonal manageappointee. theirThese ownare affairsusually becausecharities they’re mentally incapable or severelylocal disabled.councils. ToThis domeans this,that youany muststaff havemember ‘writtenfrom authority’. 

Findthat outorganisation morecan aboutact managingon someone’syour claim for them.behalf.

Corporate

Manage appointees who manage multiple Universal Credit claims 

claimants

Usually,Usually you need to provide a unique email address to set up a Universal Credit claim. If you’re a corporate appointee, you can register a single organisation email address to use across multiple claims. claims.

It must be a team email address, not an individual’s. Send the address to to universalcredit.corporateappointeeengagementteam@dwp.gov.uk.  Do.
(Do not send general enquires to this address - instead instead contact Universal Credit. .)

After 2 weeks, you can use your team email address when you set up each claim.    claim.   

Or, if you already manage multiple claims, claims, report a change of circumstances to to change the email address for each claimant.