Number of Landlords paid by Treasury from benefit payments

Original Request

I would like to request the number of housing benefit payments and the total amounts that are made annually over the last three years. Any figures that show how many payments and total amount that get paid directly to the landlords whether private or local authourity.

Data Tables (3)

Full Response Text

Freedom of Information Seyrsnys Fysseree

The Treasury Government Office, Douglas Isle of Man, IM1 3PU

Telephone: (01624) 685605 Email: FOI.Treasury@gov.im

Government Website: www.gov.im

Our ref: 1150425 11 February 2020

Dear ###

I write further to your request which was received on 27 January 2020 which asks:

"I would like to request the number of housing benefit payments and the total amounts that are made annually over the last three years. Any figures that show how many payments and total amount that get paid directly to the landlords whether private or local authourity."

Further to my email to you, and your subsequent correspondence with the Deputy Director for Social Security; thank you for confirming that you are content to receive an approximation in respect of the first part of your request. In respect of the first part of your request therefore, I can advise that it is estimated that at any given point in the last few years around 4,000 people were receiving help with meeting their housing costs through the provision of income-related benefits.
The total amount paid towards housing costs through the provision of those benefits has been in the region of £15.5 million per annum. It may be of interest to you to note that the approximate make-up of the 4,000 beneficiaries receiving help with meeting their housing costs is - • 2,600 people receiving Income Support (roughly 1,000 of whom are pensioners and 1,600 of whom are of working age); • 1,150 people receiving Employed Person’s Allowance; and • 250 people receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance. In respect of the second part of your request, table 1 below sets out the total amount paid to “housing providers” in each of the last 3 calendar years, and the number of benefit claimants the payments were made on behalf of. “Housing providers” for the purpose of this table includes all private and public providers i.e. housing authorities (including central government (DoI) and local authorities), not for profit/charitable organisations and private/commercial landlords.

Table 1 – Housing benefit payments to all housing providers Year Total amount paid Total number of claimants 2019 £5,673,576.92 1214 2018 £5,718,304.13 1254 2017 £5,977,034.84 1352 I note that you are interested in understanding the number and level of housing benefit payments made to private housing providers compared to public housing providers and charitable organisations. I am pleased to provide that information to you in the two following tables -
Table 2 - Housing benefit payments made to private/commercial landlords only Year Total amount paid Total number of claimants 2019 £2,294,885.09 498 2018 £2,422,746.52 539 2017 £2,649,581.01 619 Table 3 – Housing benefit payments made to central government (DoI), local authorities and not for profit/charitable organisations only Year Total amount paid Total number of claimants 2019 £3,378,691.83 716 2018 £3,295,557.61 715 2017 £3,327,453,83 733 Please quote the reference number 1150425 in any future communications.

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Yours sincerely