Paying your Rent

What’s the deal?

This webpage sets out the service you can expect to receive from us in relation to paying your rent or if you fall into rent arrears. It describes what we do, the standards of service you can expect and how we will check we are meeting them.  It also sets out the things we expect you to do to ensure your rent is paid in advance or if you fall into rent arrears.

Your rent pays for the services we provide. This includes the repairs and improvements we do to our home. As a tenant, you are responsible for making sure your rent is paid on time. We do, however, understand that there may be times during your tenancy when you struggle to pay your rent, and we want you to know we are here to help and will do all we can to support you. 

Our responsibilities

We will:

• If you are a new tenant, we will tell you about your responsibilities, advise you of the amount you have to pay and help you set up your preferred payment arrangements;
• Offer you a range of ways to pay your rent and other charges in advance; 
• Provide you with access to on-line facilities so that you can stay in control of your rent and make payments at times that best suit you; 
• Contact you promptly if you fall into rent arrears and offer you advice on what you need to do to clear the arrears. This will include agreeing an affordable repayment plan with you, where appropriate;
• Signpost you to support or make a referral if you need help with your rent, debts, claiming benefits or support into employment;
• Take legal action against you if you fail to pay your rent or keep to an agreed repayment plan.

What we expect in return

• Pay your rent first, in advance all the time;
• Let us know of any changes in your household makeup or financial circumstances that may affect your ability to pay your rent. This includes letting us know if you make a claim for Universal Credit and how you intend to ensure your rent is paid;
• Respond promptly if we try to contact you or ask you for information;
• Engage with any support services that are offered to you; and
• Ensure you stick to any repayment payment plan we agree with you. If you do not do this, we will take legal action against you and you could lose your home.

Measuring success

We will know if we are getting things right by:

• Monitoring and reporting our performance against our agreed performance measures.

We will report our performance against these standards in our annual report to tenants. Regular updates will also be provided to our Customer Review Group, who are responsible for reviewing how well we are doing and offering constructive challenge.