Rent arrears

We rely upon rental income to pay for services that are delivered to tenants. If rent arrears increase, the services that you receive suffer so we must keep arrears to a minimum.

When a tenant falls into arrears, we take a sympathetic approach and allow the repayment of arrears in instalments. If you fall into arrears, you must contact your area office to let us know the problem so that we can help.

What should I do if I cannot pay my rent?

If you are having difficulty paying your rent, you should contact your area office as soon as possible.We may be able to help or refer you to the local Welfare Benefit Advisor (or other agency). The Welfare Benefit Advisor can advise you on available benefits and how you can make the most of your income. You can also get advice from a Citizens Advice Bureau.

What should I do if I think there is a mistake on my rent account?

Contact us if you think there has been a mistake - we can look at your rent account and sort out any problems. If a payment you made is not showing on your account, you will need to bring (or send) your receipt to your area office so we can ensure that the correct amount is put into your account.

What should I do if I am waiting for Housing Benefit to be paid?

If you are waiting for Housing Benefit to be paid, you need to tell us. Housing Benefit claims are processed within four weeks of the Housing Benefit office receiving your claim form. We do not usually take legal action if we know you are waiting for a claim and you are making payments.

Remember that Housing Benefit will not pay for water rates if this is included in your rent - you will still have to pay this yourself.

What should I do if I have rent arrears?

You need to pay your rent arrears as soon as possible - ideally in one payment but we realise this can be difficult. Contact your area office to make an agreement to repay the money you owe - this should be at a level you can afford.

If arrears continue and we see no prospect of that changing, we take our tenants to court. Tenants are encouraged to attend court if they are summoned. At court we ask for a 'suspended possession order' which asks the tenant to start paying rent and a small additional amount of the arrears per week, fortnight, or month. Even at this stage, we would much prefer to have the problem of the arrears resolved rather than have the tenant evicted.

If a person has a suspended court order against them, we would still want to know if the tenant encounters any difficulty in making payments. We will exercise some discretion, rather than just seeking to evict.

What will the council do if I do not clear my arrears?

If you do not clear your arrears, we will take legal action to recover your debt. We will do this as the last course of action.

Our first step will be to visit you to discuss your arrears and to make an agreement. If you do not keep to your agreement, or clear your arrears, we will serve a Notice of Seeking Possession on you. This is a legal notice telling you that we intend to take legal action if you do not pay your arrears.

The Notice of Seeking Possession is the first step to you losing your home. We will contact you when we serve this notice to discuss your case. If you are not available at home, we will invite you in for an interview.

If we do ask you to come in for an interview, you need to attend as it is for your benefit. If you cannot attend on the interview date, contact us to arrange another time.

What happens if I am a joint tenant and one of us leaves the property?

As joint tenants, you are both responsible for the property and for the payment of rent. If one of you leaves the property, the remaining tenant must pay the full rent. If this happens you should tell us and Housing Benefit, if you receive it.

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