Tenants Handbook - Rent and Housing Benefit
CHAPTER 6 - RENT AND HOUSING BENEFIT
PAYING YOUR RENT
Rent and charges are due every Monday. You must pay your rent and charges weekly or in advance.
Your rent and charges may include:
- Base rent
- Service charge. For services provided to maintain communal areas of blocks of flats, including cleaning, lighting, caretaking, door entry systems
- Support charge. For services to tenants of older people's supported housing, including the emergency alarm and support staff
- Heating charge
- Water/sewerage charge. For rural properties connected to council-maintained sewerage works
When you sign for a tenancy you will have to pay at least two weeks' rent in advance. We will confirm beforehand how much rent you will need to pay.
You will receive a housing payment card, which has your name and your unique, seven digit tenancy reference number on it. We will use this number in all communication with you and will ask for it when you contact us about your rent account. You will also need your tenancy reference number when paying your rent.
Please keep the card safe and do not throw it away. Replacement cards are available from Rent Accounting, but they are costly to replace. If you lose your card, please continue to pay your rent while you new card is being ordered.
We prefer you to pay your rent by Direct Debit, because it is the cheapest and most efficient method for Landlord Services.
Direct Debit
You will need a bank or building society current account. You should complete a Direct Debit mandate, which is available from the Customer Service Centre, your Area Housing Manager or the Council's website and return the form to us. We will contact your bank or building society to arrange the payments.
We collect Direct Debit payments monthly, either at the beginning or middle of the month, to suit you. Rent is always collected in advance.
We will write to you before payments start to confirm the arrangements. We will give you ten days' written notice when rents or service charges increase and will amend your direct debit accordingly.
The mandate contains a Direct Debit guarantee, which gives you protection and ensures you are in control of your money. You should keep this guarantee in a safe place.
The benefits of Direct Debit payments are:
- No worries about remembering to pay at the right time
- No need to write and post cheques
- No queuing at the cash office or Post Offices
- Your bank or building society does all the work and you stay in control
- Saves time
- We re-calculate your payments for rent and charges at the start of each financial year
- You can cancel the arrangement at any time
- An immediate money-back guarantee from the bank or building society if any error is made
Standing Order
A Standing Order is an agreement between you and your bank or building society, so you choose how often and how much you pay.
You should complete a Standing Order mandate, available from your Area Housing Manager or Rent Accounting, and send it to your bank or building society.
You will need to inform your bank or building society of any changes to the amount due.
Post Office
You can pay your rent at any Post Office throughout the country. They are generally open between 9.00am and 5.15pm, although some small offices are closed at lunch time.
Post Office cashiers are not able to give you a balance on your rent account or advice on rent matters.
You must always take your housing payment card when you pay at the Post Office because payments cannot be made without it and keep the receipt for future reference.
You should allow three working days for the money to reach us. Payments made on a Thursday or Friday at the Post Office may not reach the Council until the following week, which may put your account into arrears.
Paypoint and Payzone outlets
You may pay your rent with cash, cheque or a debit card at outlets with the Paypoint or Payzone sign. You will need your payment card and you should keep your receipt for proof of payment.
Cash office
The Council's cash office is open from 8.45am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday. You can pay with cash, cheques and a debit card, but not with a credit card. You will need your payment card or tenancy reference number and you should take your 'payment calendar', so your payment can be receipted.
Post
Please do not send cash by post, as we can not be held responsible if it is lost. You can send a cheque, made payable to Winchester City Council, to our offices with your tenancy reference number on the back. We do not normally give receipts for cheque payments.
Internet
You can pay by via the e-payments link on our website. You will need your tenancy reference number and debit card details. We do not accept credit cards.
Touch-tone telephone system 0845 602 4438
This is an automated 24-hour service and you will be guided through the payment process by helpful prompts. You will need your tenancy reference number and debit card details. We do not accept credit cards.
Deduction from benefits
If you are in receipt of a means-tested benefit from the Department of Works and Pensions and you have rent arrears, you may be able to request that deductions are made from your benefits for rent arrears, which are paid direct to your rent account. Please contact your Area Housing Manager for further information.
Housing Benefit payments
You may be entitled to receive Housing Benefit to help you pay your rent, depending on your personal circumstances.
CLAIMING HOUSING BENEFIT
Housing Benefit helps tenants who cannot afford to pay the full rent for their home. Your entitlement will depend on your personal circumstances. You may qualify for help towards your rent if you receive state benefits or have a low income.
Application forms are available from the Housing
You will need to provide supporting information with your claim. You can speed up this assessment by providing the information quickly. You should also submit a claim for Housing Benefit promptly, as any delay could result in rent arrears.
You must tell the Housing
Housing Benefit is paid directly to your rent account.
You should tell your Area Housing Manager if you have made a claim for Housing Benefit so we can take this into account when considering taking action against you to recover rent arrears.
Some charges are not eligible for Housing Benefit:
Eligible for Housing Benefit | |
Rent | Yes |
Service charge | Yes |
Support charge | No (but you may be able to receive Supporting People Grant - see below) |
Heating charge | No |
Water/sewerage charge | No |
SUPPORTING PEOPLE GRANT
There is a support charge for some older people's supported housing, which is not eligible for Housing Benefit. However, if you receive Housing Benefit, we will apply on your behalf for a grant to cover the full cost of the support charge. You will lose this grant if you are not eligible for Housing Benefit and we will automatically adjust your rent account. See page 35 for further details.
RENT FREE WEEKS
Your annual rent is divided over 48 weeks, to give you 4 or 5 'rent free' weeks, depending on whether there are 52 or 53 weeks in the year respectively. The weekly amount due takes into account the 4 or 5 rent free weeks each year.
Your annual rent increase letter will advise you when the 'rent free' weeks are.
We will not refund the 'rent free' element of your rent if your tenancy ends before a 'rent free' week.
If you are in arrears with your rent, you must make payments for arrears during the 'rent free' weeks to reduce the amount owed.
YOUR RENT ACCOUNT BALANCE
We will send you regular statements detailing all the transactions on your account. You should check your statement carefully and contact Rent Accounting immediately if there are any discrepancies, so they can be fully investigated.
You can check the balance on your rent account at any time by contacting your Area Housing Manager or Rent Accounting. You will need your tenancy reference number for security purposes.
PROBLEMS PAYING THE RENT
We understand people can have money problems, so if you have difficulty paying your rent you should contact your Area Housing Manager immediately. Rent arrears can become a serious issue if people do not seek help early enough.
We can work out a payment plan with you for an agreed amount each week. If you follow this agreement we will take no further action. We can also advise you of benefits to which you may be entitled.
Managing your money
You can also get independent debt counselling from the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), which has a specialist debt advisor. You can contact the CAB directly or ask your Area Housing Manager to refer you. See page 88 for contact details.
The CAB advisor offers a full debt service, giving advice on how to manage your debts effectively. They complete a statement of your financial situation, including your income and outgoings, and use this information to work out what you can afford to pay on a regular basis towards your debts. They may also be able to support you in negotiating with your creditors what you are able to pay.
The CAB will also undertake a benefit check with you to ensure that you are receiving all the benefits to which you are entitled.
A CAB advisor also attends
Your Area Housing Manager can offer you basic debt counselling and money advice. However, for serious debt problems, where money is owed to several creditors, they will refer you to the CAB.
In all cases you should make a realistic agreement to make regular, affordable payments to clear your rent arrears and reduce your debt.
ACTION FOR RENT ARREARS
We will take action against you for rent arrears in line with our policy, which may result in you losing your home, if you do not get in touch with us or you fail to pay as agreed.
We will write to you or visit you about your rent arrears, but if you fail to pay we will take the following action.
Notice Seeking Possession/Notice Requiring Possession
We will serve you with a Notice Seeking Possession (or a Notice Requiring Possession, if you have an introductory tenancy). This is the beginning of a legal process to repossess your home and to obtain a County Court Judgement to recover the debt.
Possession proceedings
We will start court proceedings if you still have arrears on your rent account at the end of the four week Notice period or you are not reducing your arrears by making regular payments. You will be liable for our legal costs.
You will be notified of your court date and we advise you to attend the hearing. We may ask the court to postpone a possession order if you agree to pay a set amount each week to reduce the arrears.
We will apply to the court for a date to take possession of your home if you do not keep to the terms of the court order.
Eviction proceedings
We will apply to the court for a warrant to evict you from your home if you still have arrears on your account after the date fixed by the court. If we obtain a warrant, you must pay all outstanding rent arrears and court costs and we may consider not evicting you from your home. Any payments made at this stage must be by cash or banker's draft.
Introductory tenants
Introductory tenants who are taken to court for non-payment of rent will lose their home. The court has no discretion but to give us an immediate order for possession of your home, if we have followed our procedures correctly.
Housing advice and homelessness
The Council and other registered social landlords may not have an obligation to provide you with permanent housing if you are evicted from your home for non-payment of rent, even if you have children. You may be found to be intentionally homeless.
If you are threatened with eviction or have been made homeless, you should contact our Housing Needs Section urgently for advice. See pages 83 to 87 for homelessness advice.
We will continue to recover any arrears owed by you if you have been evicted from your home.
Transfers and mutual exchanges
You will be required to clear any outstanding arrears if you are on the transfer list, before you are offered another property. You will also be required to have a clear rent account before moving by mutual exchange.
SETTING RENT LEVELS
Winchester City Council rents used to be set according to a local formula, based on the size and number of bedrooms for the property. Since April 2007, we have to follow a national formula, set by central government, when calculating rent levels. The formula will be introduced on a phased basis for tenancies starting before this date. The rents for most properties will follow the national formula fully by 2012.
The national formula is still based on the number of bedrooms, but is also affected by the cost of private housing. Your rent will increase with inflation in April each year, based on the Retail Prices Index.
The rent for each new financial year will be effective from the 1st Monday in April and we will provide 28 days' written notice of any changes to your rent, and service/support charges, where applicable.
