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It is important to seek advice at an early stage if you are unable to pay your rent as you may be able to keep your home. You need to:
- address the problem – don't ignore it
- talk to your housing association/landlord
- prioritise your debts - you should pay your rent first
- see what help is available, you may not be receiving all the benefits and tax credits that you are entitled to
- if you are in arrears speak to the Housing Benefit team – you may be able to get your rent paid direct to the landlord
- work out your monthly income and expenditure using the expenditure form included in our Dealing with Debt leaflet (Pdf 350kb)
- contact your creditors to make offers to them
- contact the CAB or other Debt Advice Service for support and advice
Please be aware that if you have paid other debts instead of your rent or spent your money on non essential items, we may not have a duty to help you with long-term housing arrangements and may only be able to provide you with help finding alternative accommodation in the private sector. Our Housing Options team can:
- liaise with the Housing Association/landlord
- liaise with Housing Benefit and Council Tax
- refer you to CAB or other voluntary agencies who will provide you with debt advice
- give you advice before going to court
- work with you to save your home
What your Housing Association can do
- offer help when money is owed
- explain what will happen if you do not pay your rent
- agree a repayment plan so that debts can be paid
- make every effort to sort things out before court action is threatened
- give advice about benefits either directly using Housing Association staff or through the CAB, Debt Line etc.
- give advice on who to contact to help make the most of benefits and help to deal with any other debts
- tell tenants before they take legal action
- take action to recover the money that is owed by the tenant, including the legal costs if you don’t keep to an agreement
- eviction will be a last resort, but it will happen if you fail to pay off your rent arrears.
You should contact your Housing Association immediately to make arrangements to clear your arrears. There is a choice of payment methods including:
- payment at the post office
- PayPoint and Pay Zone
- SMS text messaging
- salary direct deductions
- DSS direct
- standing orders
- direct debit
- payment by post
- online via their website
Help and advice
Useful contacts
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