Rent responsibilities and struggling to pay

Rent responsibilities

Under the terms of your Tenancy Agreement you have an obligation to pay your rent, service charges and, if applicable, rates every week. Therefore, you must remember to:

• Make every effort to pay your rent on time
• Respond to contact from our staff
• Make sure you have provided the Job Centre (for Universal Credit) or the Council (for Housing Benefit) with all the information needed to process your benefit claim that will help pay your rent if you are on a low income.

The Council monitors rent accounts and service charges (also ground rent payments for leaseholders), on a weekly basis. The Council has a dedicated service for all tenants and leaseholders.

Struggling to pay rent

Missing a rent payment and falling into rent arrears can happen to anybody. It can happen for a number of reasons; maybe you were faced with an unexpected bill or an illness meaning you were unable to work. Maybe you are experiencing problems with your benefit payments. If you find yourself struggling to make ends meet it is essential that you contact us as soon as possible so we can help you find a solution.

We have a committed Benefits & Money Advisor to help you if you are struggling with rent, benefits, debt and/or budgeting. If you feel you would benefit from this service you can self-refer by contacting us or  or calling 01303 853000 to arrange  for the Benefits & Money Advisor to contact you.

It is really important that you contact us as soon as possible; that you are up front about why you are unable to pay your rent to ensure you are provided with the correct advice, and to avoid any further action.

Further help and advice

If you are worried about keeping up with your rent repayments there are also a lot of independent organisations who can offer free and impartial advice:

• A good place to start for help if you begin to struggle is the Citizens Advice website or call 0344 441 1444. You can contact the local Citizens Advice Centre and their call back service on 01303 241435
• The StepChange Debt Charity website has a lot of useful information and offers solutions via its online debt counselling service Debt Remedy, or call on 0800 138 1111
• The National Debtline offer free, independent advice and they have an online service called My Money Steps, or call on 0808 808 4000
• Kent Savers Credit Union is a financial co-operative providing affordable financial services to the people of Kent. It aims to promote saving and provide loans at reasonable rates. Visit the website or call on 0333 321 9050 (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm) or on 0300 456 9990 from 5pm to 8pm weeknights and 8am-8pm on weekends
• Money Advice Service is a free and impartial service set up by government. Visit the website or call on 0300 500 5000

Advice about Loan Sharks .