Rent Arrears & Debt Advice
It is important to contact us before you get behind with your
rent. We do understand that problems may arise from sickness,
short time working and unemployment.
What should I do if I cannot pay my rent?
If you have any problems with paying your rent, please contact
your local housing office immediately to talk about the
problem. You will be able to get advice and, where possible,
make an arrangement to help you keep your payments up to
date.
Alternatively we may be able to refer you to the local
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). The CAB can advise you on
available benefits and how you can make the most of your
income.
If you are having problems keeping up payments with any of
your bills (including your rent) you should get help as quickly as
possible. The sooner you face the problem, the easier it will be to
solve. You can get free confidential and impartial help to deal
with any debts from any
Citizens Advice
Bureaux.
If you do have problems, please contact us before we start
taking legal action against you. If we don't know there is a
problem, we can't help you. Ignoring the problem will not make it
go away.
What should I do if I have rent arrears?
You need to pay them as quickly as possible, ideally in one
payment, to clear the whole amount. However, we realise this is not
always possible. If you cannot do this, you should contact us to
make an agreement to repay the money you owe. This agreement should
be at a level that you can afford.
If you know you are going to have difficulty paying your rent
or keeping to your agreement, you should contact us immediately as
we may be able to help.
If you do have problems, you should keep us informed. Don't
ignore your arrears and don't ignore any letters from us. Ignoring
your arrears may result in you losing your home.
What should I do if I think there is a mistake on my rent
account?
If you think there has been a mistake, you should contact us.
We will be able to examine your rent account and sort out any
problems. If a payment you made is not showing on your account, you
will need to bring (or send) your receipt into the office so we can
ensure that the correct amount is put onto your account.
What should I do if I am waiting for Housing Benefit to be
paid?
If you are waiting for Housing Benefit to be paid, you should
tell us. Housing Benefit claims should be sorted out within four
weeks of the Housing Benefit office receiving your claim form. We
may be able to calculate whether you will be entitled to Housing
Benefit. We will not usually take legal action against you if we
know you are waiting for a claim to be sorted out, and you are
making payments. Remember that Housing Benefit will not pay for
water rates if this is included in your rent - you will still have
to pay this yourself.
What will South Lakes Housing do if I do not clear my
arrears?
If you do not clear your arrears, we will take legal action to
recover your debt. We will do this as the last course of action.
Our first step will be to visit you to discuss your arrears, and to
make an agreement. If you do not keep to your agreement, or clear
your arrears, we will serve a Notice of Seeking Possession on you.
This is a legal notice telling you that we intend to take legal
action if you do not pay your arrears.
The Notice of Seeking Possession is the first step to you
losing your home. We will contact you when we serve this notice to
discuss your case. If you are not available at home, we will invite
you in for an interview.
If we do ask you to come in for an interview, please do so as
it is for your benefit. If you cannot attend on the interview date,
please contact us to arrange another time.
What happens if I am a joint tenant and one of us leaves the
property?
As joint tenants, you are both responsible for the property
and for the payment of rent. If one of you leaves the property, the
remaining tenant must pay the full rent. If this happens you should
tell us and the Housing Benefit section (if you receive Housing
Benefit).
Do's and Don'ts!
- Don't ignore your arrears.
- Don't ignore letters from the council.
- Do what the letters ask you.
- If you have problems - do contact us.
- Not paying your rent can lead to you losing your
home.
- If a joint tenant leaves - the remaining tenant is
responsible for all of the rent.
Home Visits
Remember that we will be pleased to visit you at home to
discuss your rent if you wish.