Paying rent one month in advance to housing associations

Hi
Now my relative has migrated from ESA to UC the housing association says he is in arrears of rent. This is because UC, who are paying the rent directly to the housing association, pay a month in arrears. The housing association wants a month in advance. On investigation I have found that his rent has been paid 4 weeks in arrears by housing benefit for the last 5 years. Does the housing association have the right to ask him to credit his account with one months rent from his own funds just because he has switched to UC? There will be no failure to pay rent since it is paid direct under an agreed Alternative Payment Arrangement.

Thank you. I have emailed the housing association to ask if it is really necessary to credit the account with 1 month's rent from his own funds. Since APAs are set up for the most vulnerable it seems contradictory that these same people are then asked for large sums of money, despite the fact there is little chance of a failure in payment.

I got this from AI on Google, it may help someone.

No, a housing association cannot generally ask a tenant, who is on an Alternative Payment Arrangement (APA) for Universal Credit, to contribute one month's rent in advance from their own funds. APAs are specifically designed to manage rent payments, often due to difficulties in managing finances, and typically involve direct payment of rent to the landlord from the tenant's Universal Credit. While landlords can request deductions from a tenant's Universal Credit to repay existing rent arrears, they cannot typically require an upfront payment in addition to the APA.
Here's why:
APAs are designed to manage rent payments:
When a tenant is on an APA, the housing association receives the rent portion of their Universal Credit directly, or potentially through a more frequent payment, rather than the tenant receiving it themselves. This is a mechanism to ensure rent is paid when tenants struggle to manage their finances.
No legal limit on rent in advance, but...:
There is no legal limit on how much rent a landlord can ask for upfront. However, in the context of Universal Credit and APAs, the system is designed to manage rent payments and avoid situations where tenants are required to make large, upfront payments they may not be able to afford.
Landlords can request deductions for arrears:
Landlords can request deductions from a tenant's Universal Credit to recover existing rent arrears, but this is done through a separate process and not through requiring an upfront payment alongside the APA.