Paying Your Rent. The keystone of your tenancy Advice on managing your rent account successfully

Transcription

1 Paying Your Rent The keystone of your tenancy Advice on managing your rent account successfully

2 YOUR RENT PAYMENT When you sign your tenancy contract, you agree to make sure that you pay your rent in full and on time. Paying your rent is the most important part of your tenancy with us. The money we collect from the rent goes to pay for the services we provide for you. If you do not pay your rent, you could lose your home. We value and reward our customers who keep to their tenancy conditions. If you pay your rent as agreed, our Just Rewards incentive scheme provides a range of benefits. Please see our Just Rewards leaflet for more details. We will always try to be as helpful as possible and you can contact us whenever you need to, to discuss any issues with payment of rent. You must tell the Income Team, the DWP and if applicable your local housing benefit office, straight away about any changes in your circumstances e.g. if you get a job, or if your hours or income change. Please refer to our website and fact sheets about income management and welfare benefits. The prevention of arrears and collection of rent is a very important part of our service.

3 GETTING HELP WITH PAYING YOUR RENT IF YOU ARE ON A LOW INCOME The government is making big changes to Housing Benefit and will start to be replaced by Universal Credit in our region from February If you are on a low wage, unemployed, retired, or in receipt of other benefits, you may be entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit. We can carry out an assessment to see if you may be entitled to benefits or you may wish to contact your local Housing Benefit Office directly, or speak to the DWP for help with claiming Universal Credit. Your local council pays Housing Benefit, and the DWP will pay Universal Credit. It is your responsibility to make any claim. It is important to make a claim as soon as you feel you may be entitled, as any benefit will only start from the day you make a claim. It is your responsibility to make sure you provide all the information needed to assess your claim. If you are asked for more information you should supply this immediately. You can ask your council to pay your Housing Benefit directly to us and we then credit your account. For partial Housing Benefit we will normally ask you to have this paid to you and you pay your rent in full to us. You are responsible for repaying any overpayments of Housing Benefit that are made. If you want us to speak to your council on your behalf about your claim, you will need to sign a form giving your consent. If you are entitled to Universal Credit this will normally be paid to you and you will need

4 to pay your rent in full to us weekly in advance. In some circumstances the DWP will let you have the housing element of Universal Credit paid directly to the landlord. Please speak to the Income Team if you are concerned about receiving this payment yourself. Tax Credits You may also be entitled to receive other income benefits, such as Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit. If you are unsure of the benefits to which you may be entitled, please contact the Income Team. We can discuss your current income and circumstances and advise you about benefits you may be able to claim. Tips for managing your money and keeping a healthy rent account Always pay your rent in advance Log in to My Account to regularly check your rent statement Apply/ re-apply for Housing Benefit / Universal Credit promptly. Always ask for a receipt for any forms or information handed in to the Housing Benefit Office or to the DWP Make sure you understand and follow the terms of any DWP claimant commitment or else your benefits may be sanctioned If you receive Housing Benefit you can ask for it to be paid direct to us. Under

5 Universal Credit this will no longer be possible, unless this is agreed by the DWP. On Universal Credit you will need to ensure that you can pay your rent to us, preferably by Direct Debit in line with your tenancy conditions Take advantage of an on-line money advice health check by visiting www. moneyadviceservice.org.uk From time to time check your income and outgoings to ensure you are managing the money you have available to you. Important Notify Housing Benefit and our Income Team immediately if your circumstances change, including any change to your household size Notify us as soon as you receive notice from the DWP that you are being transferred to Universal Credit The Income Team

6 PROBLEMS PAYING MY RENT? If you have problems paying your rent, let us know as soon as possible. Please do not ignore the problem, it will not go away and if left will only get worse. If you fall behind with your rent payments we will write and ask you to clear your arrears within 5 days. If you are unable to catch up on missed payments it is important that you contact us to explain why you have missed your payment and agree what action you can take to make up the missed payment. If you are unable to make up the missed payment within 5 days we will normally serve a Notice Seeking Possession. This gives you notification of our intention to apply to the County Court for a possession order. This notice is valid for 12 months. We may also signpost you to independent free debt advice services, see the list of agencies detailed towards the back of this leaflet. If rent remains outstanding we will make an application to the County Court for a possession order. Depending on your circumstances we will either apply for an Immediate Possession Order, a Suspended Possession Order or ask the Court for an Adjournment if the arrears have reduced sufficiently and you are maintaining any agreed repayment arrangement. An Income Officer will arrange to visit you around 10 days before the hearing to explain the court process and discuss our intended action. If rent continues to be unpaid or any agreed repayment arrangement is breached following the award of a

7 Possession Order we will apply to the Court for a warrant to evict you. Once we have an eviction date we will attend the property along with a court bailiff and a contractor to enforce this eviction warrant. If you are evicted you will be homeless and your local authority homelessness department may not help you as non- payment of rent normally results in applicants being classed as intentionally homeless. We will still attempt to recover any rent outstanding through our former tenant debt policy. Debt Advice We are unable to provide debt counselling or debt advice. We have listed agencies where you can go and get free independent debt counselling. As an example the Citizen Advice Bureau has a whole section with step by step guidance on what to do if you are experiencing problems with debt. Please use the following link: england/debt_e.htm

8 TIPS FOR MANAGING YOUR MONEY There are a number of things which you can do to help manage your money Have a bank account that allows you to have your wages, and any benefits, paid directly into your account Pay your bills by direct debit, meaning you may pay less for some things such as gas, electricity, or telephone If possible, avoid prepayment meters for gas and electricity as these are normally more expensive. This is because when you buy a token, part of that money goes towards the hire of that meter. Ask your energy supplier if they charge a higher rate for prepayment meters. You may also want to look at energy comparison websites Avoid borrowing money you can t afford to pay back. You should always check the interest rate and find out how much money you will have to repay and how long it will take you to clear the loan in full. Make sure you can afford the loan, and find out what will happen if you cannot keep up the repayments A credit union can help you get your finances under control. They encourage you to save what you can, and only borrow what you can afford to repay. They may be more willing to help you than a high street bank if you have a low income, or do not have a previous record of borrowing

9 To find your local credit union, contact our Income Team Take advantage of an on-line money advice health check by visiting www. moneyadviceservice.org. uk This will help you with budgeting and identify any savings you can make on important household costs The Money Advice Service has a wide range of information on managing your money including information on bank accounts, basic bank accounts and borrowing money For additional information on independent money advice refer to our website or useful contact details found towards the back of this leaflet. For example the National Debt Line on or visit www. nationaldebtline.co.uk KEEP IN TOUCH WITH US We are here to help and we want to stop you getting into arrears. If you have a problem, the sooner you tackle it, the easier it will be.

10 JUST REWARDS Just Rewards is designed to encourage residents to keep to their tenancy agreement by offering a series of incentives. Just Rewards is open to all our current general needs residents and those in housing for older people, who apply for membership and meet the qualifying criteria. You must have maintained a clear rent account for at least 6 weeks to be eligible to receive membership benefits. If you have arrears, you must have kept to an agreement to clear arrears for at least 6 weeks. When to pay your rent If your rent is charged weekly, it is due on or before the Monday of each week If your rent is charged monthly, it is due on or before the 1st of the month If you have made an agreement with the Income Team to pay your rent fortnightly, 4 weekly or calendar monthly, you should do so in advance, not in arrears

11 WAYS TO PAY YOUR RENT We offer a range of direct debit dates so you can choose which suits you best. Direct Debit Our preferred payment. Available on either a Monday or a Friday of each week, or on the 1st, 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th of each month. If direct debit does not suit your current financial circumstances we have a range of alternative payment methods. allpay There are many methods of paying your rent through allpay. This includes: Rent payment card take your payment along to any Post Office or Paypoint outlet with your rent payment card and they will give you a receipt. Internet - Internet payment users can access allpay internet payment through the My Account section of our website You can use this to pay your rent and any other bills online 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can also pay your rent using your own on-line banking facility. Text or App you can register your allpay card against your credit or debit card at to allow you to pay your rent by text message, or via the allpay App. Telephone you can pay by credit or debit card 24 hours a day by contacting them on You will need your allpay card number.

12 Telephone or on-line Banking If your bank offers telephone or on-line banking, contact them with the L&H Homes, account details (account number , sort code ). Remember to quote your tenant reference number. Housing Benefit If you are claiming benefit or on a low income you may be entitled to claim some housing benefit towards your weekly rent. You should make a claim to your local council. Starting from February 2015 housing benefit will be replaced by the housing element of Universal Credit which will be paid directly to you. It is your responsibility, to make sure that your rent is paid. Standing Order You can set up a standing order to pay your rent. However, if your rent or entitlements to benefit change, you will need to change your standing order manually with your bank or building society. Remember you should allow at least 5 working days for payment to show on your account. Post Make your cheque payable to L&H Homes Limited. This needs to include your tenant reference number on the back of the cheque. Mail it to: L&H Homes, Finance Department, Leverett House, Gilbert Drive, Endeavour Park, Boston, PE21 7TQ. Please don t send cash or post-date your cheque.

13 Changing the locks following an eviction

14 USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS Many of these are head offices who should be able to give you the address of a local office. You can also usually check their website for details. If you have not got access to the internet, we can check for you. Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Universal Credit Universal Credit helpline on making your claim on-line of for change in circumstances Carer s Allowance Unit Child Support enquiry line Disability Benefits enquiry line and attendance allowance helpline Pension Credit claimline Tax Credits helpline Winter fuel payment helpline The Money Advice Service Citizens Advice Bureau National Debt Line

15 STEP Change Debt Charity The Money Advice Service Other useful numbers Age UK Dial UK Gingerbread (National network for one parent families) National Domestic Violence Helpline National Drugs Helpline Shelter (Free housing advice helpline) Drinkline Gamblers Anonymous Gamecare (Advice on gambling issues)

16 CONTACT US like L&H Homes This leaflet/ service standard/ factsheet is available in: audio language service Leverett House, Gilbert Drive, Endeavour Park, Boston, Lincolnshire PE21 7TQ L&H Homes is committed to equality and diversity and recognises diversity in all areas of our work. We seek to treat people with respect and deliver services that meet individual need.