Help with paying rent
Please note: if you are a home owner, a resident in an almshouse, or a tenant on a six-month assured shorthold tenancy who has paid a deposit, this section may not apply to you.
It's really important that you pay your rent: your home could be at risk if you don't keep up with rent payments. Please contact us and ask to speak to your money matters co-ordinator if you're worried about getting into debt.
If you get behind with your rent (we call this ’getting into arrears’), we will deal with the matter quickly, efficiently and in a confidential and sympathetic way. We will contact you at every stage of the process to advise and help you with your rent arrears.
We will always try to come to an affordable arrangement with you to start making repayments against your arrears. As long as you keep to this arrangement and your arrears decrease, we will not take any further action against your tenancy.
If you are struggling to pay your rent, it is important that you contact us and speak to your money matters co-ordinator straight away. They can give you advice about applying for benefits that you might be eligible for. They can also give you basic advice on organising your debts and refer you for specialist help where appropriate.
Support available includes:
- Our Community Support team, who can help with benefits, debt, and budgeting
- Referring you to our Debt and Benefit Advisor, who is part of our Welfare Reform team, and can help if your tenancy is at risk
- Help with getting tailored advice on debt or benefit issues, including specialist debt advice if required
- Other specialist support agencies in your area.
We have a dedicated Welfare Reform team who can help with new claims for Universal Credit. They can support you with changes to your circumstances, rearranging payment plans, and benefit calculations (so you know what to expect). They can also help you to manage your existing Universal Credit claim and payments to your rent account more effectively. Contact us to get in touch with them.
