As a we went to press on this October edition, the government announced on 29th September that Universal Credit will be rolled out to all local authority areas for single claimants from February 2015 with the intention of all new claims being processed though the scheme by 2016. This earlier than expected announcement will be greeted with some degree of trepidation by many property investor-landlords who have tenants receiving housing benefits or via the Local Housing Allowance.

We have covered the implications on a number of occasions over the last 24 months but now that the Universal Credit scheme is actually being applied as opposed to being talked about, subscribers may want to refresh their plans by reading the previously published articles on the PIN website.

This news once again underlines that the property market is always evolving and that new challenges are just around the corner which could prove a threat to your property business or create a new opportunity if you understand the nuances and can see an 'angle'!