Pay your rent

Get help and advice

If you’re finding it difficult to pay the rent for your council home speak to your Income Recovery Manager. They will help you look at your finances and the options available to you. If necessary, they will put you in touch with other services that may help for example Citizens Advice or debt counselling.

If you are a housing association tenant finding it difficult to pay your rent, contact your housing association for help.

You can also use the Turn2 Us benefit calculator to help you idenitfy what benefits you may be entilited to. 

If your child is entitled to free school meals during this time, then please see the Gov.uk website for more information. 

If you are struggling to pay your rent or manage your money and you are a council tenant, you may be able to access help from the Financial Inclusion Team.

Action we take

1. Letters
We will send you letters telling you that you have rent arrears and asking you to make payments to clear the arrears.

2. Home visit
If the rent arrears are not cleared, we will visit you at home or telephone you to speak about the problem and to discuss how you are going to pay the rent owed.

3. Instalment agreements
If you are unable to pay your rent arrears in one go we may be able to make an agreement with you to pay them by instalments. If you don’t keep to the agreement we would have to take further action

4. Making a court claim if you owe us small rent arrears
If the amount you owe us is small and not getting any bigger we may apply to the court for a money judgment. If we have to do this the amount you owe us will be increased by court costs.

5. Legal Action to possess your home
The council tries to avoid taking legal action but where initial action to contain and reduce a debt isn’t successful, court proceedings will be started. Eviction is only requested as a last resort or where no other solution is possible.