The rent is due weekly for a secure Council tenancy. It is a requirement of the tenancy contract. These are outlined in your tenancy agreement. To try and prevent rent arrears we will do the following things.
Weekly payments
Encourage tenants to pay every week and avoid getting into rent arrears.
Direct debit payments
Promote tenants paying their rent by Direct Debit, as this is a condition of tenancy.
Alternative payment methods
Provide a wide range of alternative payment methods for those unable to pay by Direct Debit. We will widely publicise the arrangements to help tenants pay their rent. Information will be available in the city’s main languages, large print, audio and Braille.
Provide advice
Make basic housing and welfare benefits advice available at all our public access points, as well as online, and give advice on entitlement to these benefits. This will be taken into account when discussing the amount of rent to be paid.
Provide information
Make information available through our Benefits Service, which will be widely publicised. We will provide all new tenants detailed information on:
- what the rent is for their home
- the amount payable and
- setting up a Direct Debit to pay their rent
Share our policy
Make sure tenants know our policy on rent arrears. We will tell them they need to make early contact with us and maintain it if they have difficulty paying the rent, and how legal action can be avoided.
Contact tenants
Attempt to contact all new tenants within 2 weeks of the start of their tenancy. This is to ensure the rent is being paid and that any housing and welfare benefit claim and relevant details have been provided.
Tenants can contact our Housing Service and arrange to pay their rent at different intervals, i.e., monthly, if it is paid in advance.
Send an annual rent statement
Send tenants an annual rent statement. It will show the:
- rent charged
- payments made and
- balance of the account
We will provide this information more often if tenants request this or direct them to our on-line services.
Signpost to help available
Outline to tenants the help available in the city to deal with debt problems and refer them to other agencies where appropriate.