Housing and Public Protection Department. Homeless Prevention ARE YOU A PRIVATE TENANT HAVING PROBLEMS PAYING YOUR RENT?

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1 Housing and Public Protection Department Homeless Prevention ARE YOU A PRIVATE TENANT HAVING PROBLEMS PAYING YOUR RENT? Wrexham County Borough Council's Homelessness Service may be able to help

2 Alternative Languages or Formats Would you like to receive this leaflet in a different format - for example Braille, cassette or text only copy or in a different language? If so, please contact the Homelessness Team Telephone number: or the Strategic Housing Services, Ruthin Road, Wrexham, LL13 7TU. Fax number: housing@wrexham.gov.uk Minicom:

3 ARE YOU A PRIVATE TENANT HAVING PROBLEMS PAYING YOUR RENT? As a private tenant you have to pay rent to your landlord in return for living in your home. Rent is normally paid weekly or monthly, but can be paid for other periods. The amount of rent you pay normally depends on what you agreed at the start of the tenancy. It is important to keep records of your rent payments by getting receipts or keeping bank statements and cheque stubbs, in case there is any dispute. If you don't pay the rent your landlord may evict you. However, even if you are having problems paying it may be possible to avoid being evicted if you act quickly. WHAT ARE RENT ARREARS? Rent is the amount of money your landlord charges in return for allowing you to live in the accommodation. If you do not pay your rent you still owe your landlord the money. The money you owe is known as rent arrears. If you don't pay the rent the landlord will have the right to evict you. In many cases though, there are things you can do to avoid losing your home.

4 PAY WHAT YOU CAN It is worth paying what you can even if your landlord tells you that you must pay the whole amount. If your landlord refuses to accept partial payment, keep it in a separate account and keep offering to pay it. PAY ARREARS GRADUALLY Your landlord may agree to you paying the arrears back over a period of time rather than in one lump sum. Try to agree an amount that you can afford with your landlord. PRIORITISE YOUR FINANCES You will need to work out your income and expenditure as accurately as possible. You may be able to maximise your income depending on your circumstances. This may be by: Claiming benefits such as housing benefit, council tax benefit or working family tax credit. Asking another family member to make a financial contribution Doing extra hours at work Reducing payments towards other debts, such as credit cards.

5 Debts such as rent arrears, where you risk losing your home, are much more important than debts such as catalogue payments, where you risk losing your credit rating. Seek advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau for assistance in dealing with your debts. HOUSING BENEFITS You may be entitled to Housing Benefit or Discretionary Housing Payments. Contact the Homeless Prevention Officers for assistance. Also, contact them if you are having problems with your housing benefit payments, as they may be able to help get it sorted. WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON'T PAY? If you fail to pay your rent your landlord could make an arrangement with you to pay off your arrears. However, he could choose to evict you. Your landlord has to follow a specific legal procedure to evict you and this varies with the type of tenancy you have.

6 ASSURED SHORTHOLD AND ASSURED TENANTS Most private tenancies are assured or assured shorthold. If you owe more than eight weeks rent arrears your landlord can serve a notice and apply to the court for an eviction order. If you owe more than eight weeks rent at the time of the notice and at the time of the court hearing, the court has to grant the order. It does not matter why you cannot pay the rent. You will have to leave the property when the eviction order comes into effect. The court may also make an order allowing your landlord to get the rent money you owe by taking the money out of your salary or deducting it from your benefit. IF YOU SHARE YOU HOME WITH YOUR LANDLORD Your landlord will only have to give you reasonable notice before you will be required to leave. The notice does not have to be in writing or for a specific period of time unless this is set out in your contract.

7 BASIC RULES TO REMEMBER When dealing with debts you should always follow these basic rules: If you make an offer of repayment make sure that it is a realistic offer that you can keep to. If you receive benefits, check that you are receiving your maximum entitlement. Do not borrow more money to pay off your debts without thinking about it very carefully. Borrowing more money may only get you more into debt and you may be charged very high rates of interest. Decide which debts are the most important. Make sure that you tackle the priority debts first. Priority debts are usually those where you could lose your home, have your gas, water, electricity disconnected or result in you going to prison. Always contact your landlord and other creditors (people you owe money to) straight away and let them know that you are having difficulties. Always reply to letters from the court and attend all court hearings so that you can give your version of events. Always make sure the court is fully aware of your financial situation.

8 Useful Contact Numbers Citizen's Advice Bureau, 35 Grosvenor Rd, Wrexham Tel Wrexham County Court, 2nd Floor, Crown Buildings, 31 Chester Street, Wrexham, Tel Shelter Cymru, 23 Abbots St, Wrexham Tel Homeless Prevention Team Wrexham Council Offices, Lambpit Street, Wrexham Tel / This information given in this leaflet is general guidance only and should not be treated as a complete and authorised statement of the law. It contains basic information only and is no substitute for seeking individual advice.