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My rent

When is my rent due?

Your rent is charged weekly and should be paid in advance to prevent arrears accruing. Rent can be paid weekly, fortnightly or monthly providing it is paid in advance.Please note that depending on the method of payment used it may take up to four working days for payments to appear on a rent account 

We will send quarterly rent statements to our tenants. Tenants can also request one from their housing officer throughout the year 

Ways to pay my rent

There are many ways you can pay your rent. See our Ways to pay my rent page for more detail.

I'm having difficulty paying my rent

Many people have difficulties paying their rent and other bills. Your money problems won't go away and the longer you leave them, the worse they get. If you continue to fail to pay your rent you are at risk of losing your home. We don't want this to happen and we are here to help you. Take these first steps to tackle your rent arrears. Payment of rent is not negotiable - but the amount you pay to reduce your arrears is!

1	Contact your local estate office
2	Explain your situation to your housing officer. You will be given free, confidential advice to help assess and manage payments. If required, an appointment will be made to discuss your situation.
3	You will be offered help on benefit entitlement and a referral to a debt advice agency. Our staff will adopt a sensitive approach to tenants, particularly those who are struggling to meet their financial commitments. Payment methods can be tailored to suit tenants' income patterns e.g. weekly, fortnightly or monthly in advance.
4	An agreement can be made at this stage. Remember it is important not to miss a payment. You will have to pay your weekly rent along with an agreed amount off your arrears. Paying a small sum regularly is far better than paying larger amounts occasionally. If you get into further difficulties with your payments, or if your situation changes, contact your housing officer. If you fail to make the agreed payments, court action will be taken and you could lose your home.
5	Obtain free, independent advice on your financial situation. Your housing officer can refer you to an indepdendent advisor who can help you manage your money, deal with debt and also help you apply for any additional benefits that you might be entitled to. An appointment will be made for you in the estate office.

What my rent pays for

The rent is used to maintain the homes we manage and to fund the services we provide. The amount of rent charged for each property is usually reviewed at the beginning of each year with changes usually starting in April. We inform tenants at least four weeks before the rent is due to change. 

All social landlords set their rents using a single government formula. The formula sets a target rent level for each property based on the value of the property, the number of bedrooms and local earnings. Each year the rent will increase by no more than inflation plus 0.5% plus £2 until your actual rent and the target rent are the same. The rent will then increase by no more than inflation plus 0.5%. 

The government has also encouraged all local authorities to separate the rent charged for a tenant’s home from the charges for services such as gardening or cleaning. Services for which we make a separate charge are

• grounds maintenance
• caretaking
• cleaning
• concierge services
• CCTV
• communal lighting

The service charges are calculated separately, based on the actual cost of providing the service and tenants will only be charged for the services that they actually receive. 

Heating and hot water 

If a property is on a communal heating system, we will add charges for heating and hot water to the rent. If it is not, the charges for heating and hot water will be paid direct to the utilities company. 

Water rates

This is a charge for water and sewerage services set by the local water company. We collect this for the water company, except for homes where your water is on a meter.