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Why do I need to pay rent?
You will be asked to pay rent each week. Like in any kind of housing, you are likely to be evicted if you do not pay your rent. Paying rent is the most important factor in any successful tenancy. It is also important to pay your rent as it enables us to maintain and keep your accommodation in good condition and enables Real Lettings to provide the services you need. Real Lettings is a non profit scheme
Does my rent cover my gas, electricity and water?
No. You will need to arrange for accounts to be set up in your name so that you can pay for the gas, electricity and water that you use. The Resettlement Team can help you with this at the start of your tenancy.
How do I pay my rent?
You are expected to pay rent promptly a week in advance.
- If you are in receipt of Local Housing Allowance (Housing Benefit) we will help you arrange for direct payment to Real Lettings.
- If Local Housing Allowance does not cover all of your rent (for example if you are working) you will need to pay enough money each week directly to Real Lettings to ensure that the full rent is covered.
- It is your responsibility to ensure that your rent is paid. If you make a Local Housing Allowance claim it is up to you to ensure that the Local Housing Allowance Department have all the information they need in order to assess your claim. They will need to see your tenancy agreement, some form of identification (birth certificate, passport etc) as well as proof of your income (for example a letter from your Job Centre with your new address on it).
What happens if I can’t pay my rent?
If you have any problems with paying your rent, you must contact your Rent Officer on 0207 710 0550 immediately. He/She will be supportive and help you resolve the problem by:
- Advise you on any possible Local Housing Allowance entitlements
- Coming to an agreement with you to pay off what is owing in arrears
- Work with you on better ways to manage your money.
If you do not pay your rent: You will receive a letter from Real Lettings’ Rent Officer telling you how much you owe and she/he will arrange to see you in the office to work out how you will pay the money you owe. You will be asked to sign an arrears agreement form, which will be put on your tenancy file.
Wherever possible we will try and come to an agreement with you to clear your arrears. However, if you keep getting behind with your rent and fail to keep to your agreements to clear your arrears, we will have to take legal action.
Important information about Housing Benefit If your circumstances change it is very important that you tell Real Lettings and your local Housing Benefit department immediately. A change in your circumstances could be:
If you do not let the Local Housing Allowance (Housing Benefit) Department know about a change in your circumstances they will almost certainly find out at a later date. They will then reclaim any overpayment which will mean that your Local Housing Allowance will be much reduced which is likely to leave you in rent arrears. As a result it is likely to lead to you having problems paying your rent and leading to your tenancy being at risk (see Legal action) Remember – if in doubt CALL THE HELPLINE on 07726 701 230 (see Help Line)
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In the event of you owing five weeks rent we will serve you a “28 day Notice of Seeking Possession” of your home. Five weeks after we have served you this Notice, we could apply to the County Court for a possession hearing.
In the event of you owing five weeks rent we will serve you a “28 day Notice of Seeking Possession” of your home. Five weeks after we have served you this Notice, we could apply to the County Court for a possession hearing.
If you can show us that you willing to come to an agreement to pay off your arrears, we may decide to put the court action on hold. Even so, the Notice will remain in force for one year and if, during that year you fail to maintain the agreement, we can immediately request a court hearing for possession of your home.
If we go to Court we will seek a County Court judgment to evict you from your home. A County Court judgment will mean that:
- It will be very difficult for you to get credit or a loan
- We will be able to apply for a warrant to evict you from your home.
- You will not get a reference from other landlords or mortgage lend
Broadway’s Rent Officers are based in Broadway’s Housing Management Team at Central Office and can be contacted on: 0207 710 0550.
