Rent and service charges

When do I pay rent?

Your rent should be paid every Monday. You can choose to pay every four weeks, but you must pay four weeks in advance.

Remember that it is up to you to pay your rent on time.

If you are finding it hard to pay your rent, then please let us know. Our friendly team are here to help.

You can speak to a live chat advisor on our website or call 0333 320 4555 - lines are open between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday and outside of these times for emergencies.

There is a lot of support and advice we can offer you to help you clear your rent arrears and remain in your home.

How can we help?

When you make contact with us we will discuss your household budget and the debts that you may have. Our Financial Inclusion Team will agree a realistic repayment plan so that you can clear your rent arrears.

The Financial Inclusion Team can also help you with:

• Claiming benefits
• Energy efficiency and reducing your bills
• Budgeting advice

We can also give you details of other organisations that may be able to help and support you.

Clearing your arrears

If you are in rent arrears, we will contact you to agree a way of clearing the debt. The speed at which arrears are cleared depends on your ability to pay.

We can help you to clear your arrears and remain in your home.

For more information about your rent, what to do if you are behind with your rent payments and some tips on how to keep up with your payments, please click visit our cost of living support hub.

What could happen if you do not pay your rent?

If you fail to pay your rent and you do not make an agreement with us to clear your arrears then there may be no alternative but to begin proceedings to remove you from the property.

If you want to know more about paying your rent then we have a leaflet that contains a lot more information.

If you still have any questions then contact us on 0333 320 4555.

Checking your rent balance and recent transactions

We will send you a rent statement by post once a year. You can also check your rent account at any time online by setting up an account for our tenant area or by contacting us.

You can also check your rent balance by:

• Calling us on 0333 320 4555
• Logging in to your online tenant account.

Following an update Chrome have done to their browser, some customers are experiencing issues making online payments. Please try using a different browser such as Mozilla Firefox, or Safari. 

If you receive an error message when making a payment, it is advisable to check with your bank or card issuer to ensure the payment hasn't gone through before attempting to make another payment.

Our service charges are usually based on the estimated costs of providing services, such as communal cleaning, gardening or street lighting. We review these changes once a year. You will receive one calendar month's notice in writing of any proposed changes to these charges. 

If you live in an independent living scheme we may charge you for the support services that you receive. This charge covers services such as the Independent Living Coordinators and our Progress Lifeline service. These costs are not eligible to be paid by housing benefit or Universal Credit.

Some people are entitled to help with housing costs depending on their circumstances. Our team can help you find out if you qualify for help with housing costs.

In accordance with your tenancy agreement ‘rent free’ weeks are provided on the basis that the annual rent is calculated and divided over 48 or 50 weeks of the year.  This enables tenants whose rent accounts are clear to have ‘rent free’ weeks.

If you are in arrears, however, you must make a payment to reduce the arrears during these weeks.  Failure to pay your rent could result in the loss of your home.

Housing Benefit is money you may get from your local council to help you pay your rent. It can be paid straight to us as your landlord.

If you do not receive full Housing Benefit you will still have to pay all or some of your rent by one of the other payment methods.

Paying your rent online is one of the quickest and safest ways to pay.

You will need your 9-digit tenancy reference number beginning with '4' or ‘5’.

You don't need to sign up for a tenant account or log in to make a payment; all you need is a reference number.

For rent payments, your reference number is your tenancy number which is on your rent statement. For all other payments, please use the number referred to on the invoice or in our correspondence.

• Rent and/or Service Charge payments – nine digit tenancy code beginning with a four or five
• Sundry payments – 8 digit customer code, for example 12/000000

If you do not have a reference number please contact us 0333 320 4555 (telephone lines are open between 8am and 6pm).

Make a payment

This is the easiest way to pay your rent. Payments can be made straight from your building society or bank account.

It is super easy to set up a direct debit – Set up a Direct Debit

We can only take an agreed amount from your account and we will tell you first if we need to change the amount.

Set up a Direct Debit

You can pay your rent using our automated telephone line - call 0333 320 4555 and select option two.

We accept debit or credit card payments.

A swipe card enables you to pay your rent or charges in person by cash or cheque at any Post Office or Pay Point outlet. Make sure that you request a receipt and that you keep it as proof of payment.

Check where your nearest Pay Point outlet is located (opens in new window).