At this authority Housing Benefit can be paid by cheque or BACS either to the claimant or to the landlord, depending on which method the claimant chooses. If the claimant requests payment to their landlord, a landlord direct form must be completed. 

BACS stands for Bankers Automated Clearing system, a well established and proven system operated by the Clearing Banks.    Paying Housing Benefit this way will offer you several advantages:

• BACS will eliminate the possibility of cheques being delayed or lost in the post.
• You will no longer have to pay cheques into the bank
• The time taken for cheques to clear will disappear

If a tenant is more than 8 weeks behind with their rent, a landlord can request all future payments to be sent to them directly.  The authority can also choose to pay the landlord directly if we believe that it is in the best interest of the tenant.   Housing benefit will always be paid four weekly, in arrears.