Paying your rent
| Online Contact | Email: Housing Rents | Tel: 023 8028 5222 |
Battling with bills such as rent and council tax? You're not alone.
For advice and information on money and budgeting go to Money advice.
When you first fall behind with your rent, a member of the Housing Rents team will contact you as soon as possible to discuss the following with you:
- The cause of your arrears
- Your financial circumstances
- Your entitlement to benefits
- How you plan to repay the arrears
The team are available to help if you have any concerns about paying your rent or rent arrears.
Remember your home is at risk if you do not keep up your rent payments, so we would encourage anyone having difficulties with managing their money to please contact the office as soon as possible and your rent officer or any member of the team will do their best to help and get your rent payments back on track.
The team are responsible for:
- Maintaining the rent accounts for dwellings and garages
- Preventing and dealing with rent and service charge arrears for homes and garages
- Taking recovery action as necessary for the payment of rent and service charges owed
- Administering the way rent is paid
- Answering any rent-related queries
- Recovery of former tenants arrears
Please remember that rent is a priority debt and along with Council Tax and court fines is considered by the courts as the debt to take priority over all others. We would encourage tenants to set up a Direct Debit payment. This is a very convenient way of paying your rent and once it has been set up, you no longer have to worry about missing a rent payment. Other payment options are available.
How we use your information
Information about your tenancy will be held securely on NFDC's Housing Systems and will be used to administer your tenancy. NFDC is under a duty to protect the public funds it administers and to this end may share information internally and with other government agencies including those responsible for auditing or administering public funds, for the prevention and detection of fraud. We may share details of the period of your tenancy and contact details you have provided, with utility companies, if this information is requested by them in writing and is required for the purposes of their legitimate interests.
