Coronavirus: Rent and money worries help and support

Were here to help

Whilst we may be in unprecedented times at the moment due to the coronavirus outbreak, we are still here to help.

It’s important to tell us if you are experiencing problems with paying your rent due to Coronavirus as there is a range of help available.

We have a friendly and knowledgeable team who are able to provide specialist advice on claiming benefits, repayment plans and who can signpost you to local and national help available.

Rent Payments

Rent is still being charged as normal and we would encourage you to continue to pay your rent in full where possible. Paying as much rent as you are able to is better than paying nothing at all. We would encourage you to continue to do this to reduce your arrears, if you have any, and to avoid any action in the future.

We realise you may need help from benefits to do this and our team are able to provide you with guidance on which benefits you may be eligible for.

If you’re unwell or can’t work because of coronavirus we want to reassure you that no one will lose their home or face enforcement action as a result of financial hardship caused by the virus.

 

Next Steps

If you are worried about falling into rent arrears because you cant pay us in the short term due to Coronavirus, contact us to set up a payment plan as soon as you can. You can contact the Income Team on 0300 303 8540 or customerservices@southlakeshousing.co.uk

If your income has reduced, for whatever reason you may need to make a claim for Universal Credit.  Please do not put off applying for Universal Credit as you only receive help from the date you apply.

For information about Universal Credit please follow this link https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-you/draft-uc-and-you

And how to make a claim https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/how-to-claim

You should be aware that people making new claims for Universal Credit will no longer need to call the Department of Work and Pensions as part of the process. Instead, the DWP will proactively call claimants if they need to check any of the information provided as part of the claim.

Dont delay, claim today

Council Tax Support

If your income has reduced you may be eligible for support in paying your council tax.

If you are already claiming but your income has changed, you will need let your council know there has been a change of circumstances so they can re-assess your claim.

Visit South Lakeland District Councils website: https://www.southlakeland.gov.uk/council-tax-and-housing-benefit/council-tax/

Gas and Electric Support

The government have launched an emergency package with energy suppliers to ensure you dont face any additional hardships in heating or lighting your home during the coronavirus outbreak. If you are struggling with money problems or are repaying a debt, options will include:

  • reviewing bill payment plans, including debt repayment plans
  • payment breaks or reductions in how much you pay
  • giving you greater time to pay
  • in some cases access to hardship funds.

 

Contact your energy supplier if you have a prepay meter tell them your self-isolating. They will send you out two weeks worth of gas/electricity or if you have a smart meter they will top you up.

British Gas– 0333 202 9802

EDF– 0333 200 5100

Eon– 0345 052 000

N Power– 0800 073 3000

Scottish Power– 0800 027 0072

SSE– 0345 026 2658

Water Support

United Utilities have published the following advice:

We wanted to let you know what were doing in response to the Coronavirus outbreak to protect our staff and customers.  Were following the government health advice to make sure our customers and our colleagues stay safe and we are putting all the necessary measures in place to ensure this advice is followed by everyone. We understand this is a challenging time and weve put our robust business continuity plans into action so we can make sure we can still supply our water and wastewater services to all customers across the North West. Advice from the World Health Organisation is that the water treatment process specifically the addition of chlorine which is routinely used for disinfection will kill the virus. Remember, only flush the three Ps pee, poo and paper. Please do not flush any kitchen roll, wet wipes or newspaper down the toilet as these can cause major blockages in the sewers.

You can find more information on their website: https://www.unitedutilities.com/Coronavirus-update/

 

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