The National Landlords Association (NLA) has called on the government to give tenants choice in how housing benefits are paid to private landlords.

This follows the confirmation from Lord Freud that the new Universal Credit system would allow housing benefit to be paid direct to the tenant, but would revert to the housing provider should a tenant begin to fall into arrears.

Lord Freud stated that he would “build safeguards into the system to minimise the impact on social landlords’ incomes and reassure lenders””.