Landlords have been warned that thousands of tenants face losing their housing benefit and may struggle to pay the rent as changes brought in by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) take effect.

Tax expert Andy Wood says some 184,000 people face losing their benefits including for housing as the DWP migrates hundreds of thousands of claimants from legacy benefits such as Housing Benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowances to Universal Credit.

Government figures show that out of 824,050 people who have been migrated over the past 21 months, some 184,000 or 22% have not been moved over and therefore have had or face having their benefits stopped, says Wood.

"The termination of benefits for so many claimants highlights the critical need for a more empathetic and supportive approach in the Universal Credit rollout,” he adds.

“Many of these individuals are likely facing significant challenges, and the DWP must prioritise their well-being over meeting migration targets. The primary goal should be ensuring that no one is left without essential support."

"The DWP's ability to manage the migration of claimants from legacy benefits to Universal Credit is concerning, especially for those vulnerable.”

The problems faced by some tenants could make tenants in receipt of benefits even less attractive to private landlords – a poll late last year found that 43% would not accept this kind of tenant, a practice that Labour has promised to prevent when it resurrects the Tory’s Renters Reform Bill should they win the General Election this week.