Customer Survey FAQs

About the survey

Why is the survey taking place?

The main aim of this research is to understand how Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates affect customers in receipt of housing support in the private rented sector. The research will explore how LHA rates influence housing choices, financial wellbeing, and rental practices. The findings will help the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to improve our understanding of the private rental market and could help inform future government policy.

Who is conducting the survey?

The DWP has asked Verian to carry out the Impact of Local Housing Allowance survey and interviews. Verian is an independent research organisation and is an accredited Market Research Society Company Partner (www.mrs.org.uk). The Market Research Society is the UK professional body for research, insight and analytics. Verian is also a member of ESOMAR (esomar.org), a global professional association for market research and insights. Verian adheres to the MRS/ESOMAR codes of conduct.

Work conducted by Verian Group UK Ltd is certified to the International Standards ISO 9001, ISO 20252 and ISO 27001.

To find out more about Verian, please visit www.veriangroup.com.

Is this a real DWP research project?

Yes. If you would like to check that this survey is real, you can see a list of current DWP research projects on the Government website, here: Current DWP research in the field undertaken by external organisations - GOV.UK.

Will taking part affect my housing support or any other benefits I receive?

No. You can choose whether to take part or not. Your choice will not affect the housing support or benefits you get.

The personal data that we collect through this survey will only be used for research. Your answers will not be used to assess or review your benefits claim.

Taking part

Why was I selected to take part?

You have been randomly selected from DWP’s records which indicate that you may be in receipt of housing support via Universal Credit or Housing Benefit and that you are renting from a private landlord, and therefore subject to LHA rates. It was important that this selection is random as it helps to make sure the people we interview are representative of the population. This random selection was done by DWP. DWP then securely shared the encrypted list of everyone selected to take part with Verian.

Why are my views important?

Your experiences and opinions are important to help DWP understand the impact of LHA rates on their customers. It is important for DWP to hear from the experiences of a range of people. This will be used to help build the private rental market evidence base used to inform policy developments.

Completing the survey

What do I need to do?

This is a telephone survey. An experienced interviewer will call you to invite you to take part. You can either take part when they call or arrange for a follow up appointment at a time that suits you.

Do I have to answer every question?

We would like you to complete as many questions as you can. You can skip questions if you don’t know the answer. You can also skip questions that you don’t feel comfortable answering. You can move on to the next question by choosing either the ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I don’t want to answer’ option where relevant.

Your answers will be reported anonymously, meaning that it will not be possible to identify you in any published reports. Your benefits will not be affected by anything you say in this survey. Your landlord will not know that you have been invited to participate in this survey.

Claiming the gift voucher

Will my benefits be affected if I claim the £10 gift voucher?

Claiming the £10 gift voucher will not have any impact on any benefits that you receive. You do not need to tell DWP or HMRC that you have received the voucher.

How can I claim the gift voucher?

At the end of the survey you will be sent a link via email which leads to a website run by a company called Merit Incentives. This link is unique to you.

On this website you will be able to choose which shopping voucher you would like from a range of high street shops, restaurants and supermarkets.

Please either follow this link and choose which voucher you would like or save a copy of the link to use later. If you have any issues accessing your incentive you can contact the Verian project helpline on 0800 051 0875 or by emailing LHAllowance@veriangroup.com.

Confidentiality and data protection

Where did you get my contact details?

Verian has been provided with your contact details by DWP. For more information on how DWP protect data they hold about you, please go to GOV.UK and search for “Research at DWP”.

Is this research confidential and will anyone at DWP see my answers?

If you choose to take part, your survey responses will be treated confidentially in line with UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Your survey responses will be securely linked to information that DWP already holds about you that you have previously provided. This will be done by pseudonymising the data, which means that we replace your personal details with a unique reference number; no names or contact details will be shared with DWP. This will help to understand experiences across different groups. This pseudonymised data will only be used for research purposes. Verian will delete your contact details within 6 months of the project ending (this does not affect records held by DWP or your local authority), while DWP may retain the data for research purposes only for 5 years.

What will happen to the results of the surveys?

Your answers will be grouped with all the answers from everyone who has taken part in the research. The results will be written up in published reports in which it will be impossible to identify you or your individual answers.

For more information on your privacy, please visit https://www.veriangroup.com/uk-surveys.

Is the information I provide safe online?

We take our responsibilities to keep your personal information secure very seriously. As such, we take every reasonable precaution to ensure your information is protected from loss, theft, or misuse. We use a secure Website (HTTPS) to ensure that your data is protected. This is the same type of website that you would generally see when shopping online.

As part of our commitment to the security of your information, Verian has regular internal and external audits of its information security and is accredited to the International Standard for Information Security, ISO 27001.

What about cookies?

The website uses cookies to detect your device’s operating system, screen resolution and the browser you are using in order to adjust the survey to best suit your system. This information is returned to us and stored for statistical purposes only. We do not collect or store any personal information through cookies. It is possible for you to delete cookies or to prevent their use by adjusting the browser settings on your computer.

Data Protection

Taking part is voluntary and any information you give us will be used only with your consent. Both DWP and Verian will process your answers in compliance with the Data Protection Action 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation.

For more information about how we keep your data safe please see the survey privacy policy on this page: www.lhasurvey.co.uk.

Support and Resources

If you’ve taken part in the questionnaire some of the questions might have raised some challenging or upsetting issues for you. We’re grateful that you have taken part and want to make sure that you have access to the support and guidance you may need. Below you can find a list of support services and charities you may find useful:

Mental health

Samaritans:
Samaritans is a charity that provides free support to people who are struggling or need someone to listen
https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
Call 116 123.

MIND:
Mental health charity
Support helpline 0300 102 1234 open Monday to Friday 9am-6pm.

Young Minds:
Tailored information, advice and support to parents and carers who are concerned about their child or young person’s mental health
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/parents-helpline/
Telephone 0808 802 5544 or use their web chat service.

Every mind matters:
Expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing, including sleep, self-care, and dealing with change
www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/.

Shout:
Provides free, confidential text message support for anyone struggling to cope
Text ‘shout’ to 85258.

The Salvation Army:
Offers diverse support and provides practical help for people without discrimination
https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/

Financial advice

Turn2Us:
National charity offering information and practical support to people facing financial insecurity
https://www.turn2us.org.uk/

National Debt Helpline:
An independent debt advice charity, which aims to help people across the UK tackle their debts and manage their money with confidence
Speak to an adviser for free: Call 0808 808 4000, 9am-8pm Monday to Friday, 9:30am-1pm Saturday.
https://nationaldebtline.org/freedebtsupport/

Debt Free Advice:
Coalition of charities that provide free, expert advice on problem debt.
https://debtfreeadvice.com/ Free helpline open 7 days a week 8am-8pm 0800 808 5700

Step Change:
Debt advice charity. They provide free and impartial advice, online and by phone, as well managed debt solutions and help with budgeting.
Speak to an advisor call: +448001381111. Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm.

Money Advice Scotland (Scotland only):
Provides help for people in debt including webchat which can be accessed at:
https://www.moneyadvicescotland.org.uk/webchat
https://www.moneyadvicescotland.org.uk/

Housing

Shelter:
Housing advice charity:
https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice.

Crisis:
Crisis homeless support charity
https://www.crisis.org.uk/

Streetlink:
Support for people who are rough sleeping or concerned about someone rough sleeping
https://thestreetlink.org.uk/

Benefits

Department for Work and Pensions Helplines:
Local Housing Allowance:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-housing-allowance

Universal Credit:
https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/contact-universal-credit

Disability Service Centre:
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/contacts/universal-credit-service-centre

Universal Credit Service Centre:
https://www.gov.uk/disability-benefits-helpline

Food

Your local pantry:
Food provision and community organisation
https://www.yourlocalpantry.co.uk/

Trussell – ending hunger together:
https://www.trussell.org.uk/emergency-food/find-a-foodbank.

General

ACAS:
Workplace advice resource for England, Wales and Scotland.
https://www.acas.org.uk

Citizens Advice England:
The Citizens Advice service provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/cost-of-living/get-help-with-the-cost-of-living/

Citizens Advice Wales:
The Citizens Advice service provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/wales/

Citizens Advice Scotland:
The Citizens Advice service provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/

Gingerbread:
Providing advice and support to single parents and their children to help them thrive
https://www.gingerbread.org.uk/

Contact us

If you would like any further details about the survey or have any issues completing the survey, you can email us at LHAllowance@veriangroup.com. Please have your reference number to hand. You will be able to find your reference number on the letter we sent to you.

If you have any other questions, please email caxtonhouse.housingresearch@dwp.gov.uk for more information.