Paying your rent
If you are in arrears
What can I do if I'm having trouble
paying?
Getting behind with your rent payments
could eventually lead to you losing your home. If you are
having difficulty paying, it is extremely important that you get in
touch with us straight away. We will always try to help you
to deal with the problem.
The first step is to let us know the
situation by calling our Contact Centre on 01227
862142.
If you are on a low income, you may be
eligible for Housing
Benefit to help pay your rent. Again, please speak to a
member of our Contact Centre staff for more information.
You should never have to pay for
independent advice about debt or benefits. There are many
excellent organisations whose job is to provide this for
free.
What happens if I do not pay?
If you get into arrears with your
payments, we will:
- Write to you to let you know that you are in arrears, and ask
you to contact us. We might also try to contact you by
phone.
- We will always try to reach an agreement with you for you to
pay off your arrears at an amount that is affordable for you.
- If you make an agreement to clear your arrears, you must keep
to it, or let us know about any problems you are having.
- If you do not clear your debt, or keep to an agreement to repay
what you owe, we will take court action to recover the
debt.
- If we take you to court, you may find that the court order
affects your credit rating, and you could also lose your
home. You will also have to pay any court costs, which are
approximately £220.
- If you have applied for Housing Benefit, we will only stop
arrears action if you have supplied all the information needed by
the Benefits Team to deal with your claim.
You might also be interested in:
Consumer Credit Counselling
Service
Free debt advice, including information on completing a personal
budget statement, specimen letters to creditors and help with
arranging a repayment plan to clear debts.
Kent
Savers
Telephone them on:
0333 321 9050 - Monday to Friday - 9am
to 5pm
0300 456 9990 - Monday to Friday - 5pm
to 8pm, and weekends from 8am to 8pm
Visit Kent Savers every Friday at
Gravesham Gateway Civic Centre, Windmill Street, Gravesend, from
9.30am until 1pm.
National
Debtline
Free, confidential and independent advice on debt issues. The
National Debtline provide a free debt advice pack, including
guidance on completing a personal budget, specimen letters to
creditors, and information on many of the legal issues connected
with debt.
Former tenants
Even if you are no longer a tenant of
Canterbury City Council, we will expect you to pay any amounts you
still owed when your tenancy ended. If you do not pay, we may
take the case to court to obtain a court judgement against
you. This could affect your credit rating in the future.