How to avoid getting behind with your rent
This information is aimed at helping you keep on top of your rent payments. It sets out what to do if you are finding it difficult, what help is available, and the process we go through if you do fall behind.
Helena Homes aims to be firm but fair when dealing with rent arrears. It’s a bit of give and take really – we’ll help you to make sure you can pay your rent. In return we ask you to make paying your rent a priority.
Below you'll find some real life stories of tenants who have found paying the rent difficult – what they did and what the result was.
What should I do if I find myself falling behind with my rent?
The first thing to do is to make sure you get advice as soon as possible. Contact us before we contact you.
If you’re struggling to make ends meet on benefits or a low income, even a small amount of rent arrears can quickly become a big problem.
Your rent officer will be able to give you advice and support. Your rent officer can visit you at home if this is more convenient and can set up an arrangement where you can pay in instalments if this is suitable. If you agree a payment plan with us, it is vital that you stick to it.
What help can I get to pay my rent?
Our Rents Team is here to help you. The team can offer you advice on ways to pay your rent and what to do if you fall behind with payments. The team has wide experience of helping people manage their money better. Contact the Rents Team on (01744) 671570. The team can also refer you to other organisations who might be able to help.
We also have a Welfare Benefits Officer who can help you with benefits issues. They’ll be able to tell you what is available and how to make a claim. Speak to your rent officer for more details. If it’s an emergency, we try to give you an appointment within five working days of contacting us.
The most common form of support with paying your rent is Housing Benefit. This is money from the government specifically to pay your rent. Whether you are in work, unemployed, retired or off work because of illness, it’s worth looking into. You may be able to make a claim.
You can get claim forms from the Council’s Housing Benefit office at Lincoln House in St Helens town centre. Or any Helena Homes neighbourhood office can give you one.
At the end of this leaflet there are contact details for other organisations which might be able to help you.
What happens if I fall behind?
Ultimately if you don’t pay your rent you could end up losing your home. Owing rent could also affect your wish to transfer to another home. So it’s vital you act as soon as possible. Get in touch and get help.
Stage One: When you first miss a rent payment, or if you pay less than you should, we’ll send you a reminder letter. If you still can’t pay – contact your rent officer straight away who is there to help you.
Stage Two: If we don’t hear from you or if you still don’t pay, we’ll send you a second reminder letter. This will ask you either to pay what you owe or contact your rent officer if you are unable to pay.
Stage three: If you fail to respond to our second letter straight away, or to contact us, we will serve notice on you. This means we are taking legal action to remove you from your home. If you do not act now you will end up in court, your debt will increase, and you could find yourself homeless.
Stage four: Again, if you fail to act we will take you to court where we will apply for a possession order – to take back our property from you. You will be told in writing of the date of any court hearing. The court may grant you a postponed possession order which gives you the chance to stay in your home so long as you agree to a payment arrangement to pay off your debt. Or we may ask the court for an outright possession order – which means we will take possession of your home within an agreed time. If we obtain a County Court Judgement this could affect your ability to get credit in the future.
Stage five: If a court grants us a possession order we can apply for a warrant to evict you from your home. This is a last resort and we will only do this if all other attempts to solve the problem have failed. The warrant will tell you when we plan to carry out the eviction. You can apply to have the warrant suspended. Please note: eviction can result in you being classed as “intentionally homeless” and this can affect your ability to be rehoused.
Rent arrears: your stories
Chris, 26 (Thatto Heath)
What happened? Chris lost his job with an electrical company. Since then he’s been struggling to pay his rent as he only received partial Housing Benefit.
What did he do? Chris chose to ignore the situation and hoped the Housing Benefit Department would sort the problem out. He carried on with his day to day life and failed to contact Helena. He ignored our letters and phone calls. Eventually he fell behind so much he was unable to make any payments.
What did we do? Eventually we obtained a court order against Chris and evicted him from his home. He still has a very large debt with us.
What could he have done? If Chris had spoken to his rent officer the issues with Housing Benefit could have been resolved. As Chris was now unemployed he would most likely have been able to claim full housing benefit from the moment he lost his job. This would have meant his arrears would not have mounted up and he would not have lost his home.
Tina, 35 (Haydock)
What happened? Tina, who has three children aged under 16, was finding it difficult to pay her rent because she had other debts with catalogue companies. Every month she was struggling to make ends meet as her income was less than her outgoings. Eventually she ran up rent arrears of £175.
What did she do? Tina ignored our letter saying she had fallen into arrears, and chose instead to focus on her catalogue company debts. Her arrears grew as she missed further payments. The problem became serious and Tina’s debts began to get out of control.
What did we do? We obtained a court order against her and she is currently awaiting an eviction date.
What could she have done? If Tina had contacted us straight away her situation could have been very different. A rent officer would have been able to help her complete an income and expenditure form to see what she could afford to pay. Because she had several debts we could have referred her to Citizens Advice Bureau. A CAB specialist advisor could have helped her prioritise her debts and negotiated with her creditors to have some of them written off. Tina would have been helped to manage her debts and would not have faced eviction.
Simon, 28 (Clock Face)
What happened? Simon had an accident at work which affected his ability to drive. This meant he had to take time off work and when he returned he had to take taxis there and back. Having to pay for this meant he fell behind with his rent. Other bills came in and he missed rent payments.
What did he do? We sent Simon a letter telling him he was two weeks in arrears. Simon ignored this believing he could catch up the following month. However, he continued to miss payments meaning his arrears grew.
What did we do? We took Simon to court where he was ordered to pay another £100 in court costs on top of his already large arrears. Unable to pay for his taxis to work, Simon had to leave his job. He then went onto Job Seekers Allowance and still has a large debt to pay off with us.
What could he have done? If Simon had contacted us straight away a rent officer could have referred him to Helena’s Welfare Benefits Officer who could have told him he was able to claim Disability Living Allowance. This could have covered his taxi costs and allowed him to continue working – and meant he could pay his rent and his bills.
Fiona, 45 (Newton-Le-Willows)
What happened? Fiona’s partner left her three months ago and she began to struggle to pay her rent. She also faced mounting credit card bills and was unable to pay her Council Tax.
What did she do? Fiona ignored our letters and continued trying to make ends meet with her reduced income. In the end she decided to pay her Council Tax and credit card bills – but not her rent.
What did we do? Because Fiona failed to get in touch, we were left with no option but to seek a court order. After we had warned her of possible court action Fiona paid a little bit of rent but then a credit card bill arrived. The court order included a County Court judgement for the arrears. This affected Fiona’s credit rating - making it harder for her to get credit in the future.
What could she have done? Fiona could have contacted her rent officer straight away to explain her situation. The rent officer could have visited her at home and helped her prioritise her debts using an income and expenditure assessment. They could also have helped Fiona apply for a single persons’ discount for her Council Tax. And they could have given her a debt pack which allowed her to contact her creditors. The result would have meant she was able to meet her rent payments, while paying a weekly amount off her arrears.
How can I pay my rent?
You can pay your rent by any of the following methods:
- By Direct Debit - We collect direct debits from your bank account. You can choose to pay on the 1st, 8th or 23rd of each month, or weekly on a Friday. Telephone (01744) 675553 for an application form. Remember, if you are paying monthly the whole payment must be in advance. You may prefer to pay weekly if this would make managing your money easier.
- By Phone - Call (01744) 637383 with your debit or credit card details.
- At any Post Office - Don’t forget to take your swipe card with you.
- Online - Using you debit or credit card.
- At any outlet displaying the Payzone sign - You need to use your swipe card.
Where else can I get help?
The Rents Team can put you in touch with other organisations that might be able to offer specialist help before money problems get out of control .
Here are the details of some of these organisations:
- National Debtline : Offer free debt and money advice
Tel: 0808 808 4000
Website: www.nationaldebtline.co.uk
- Citizens Advice : Information and advice on money, welfare benefits, debt, housing and employment
Local Branch: Millennium Centre, Corporation Street, St Helens
Tel: 01744 737866 (local branch)
Tel: 0844 8269694 (advice line)
Website: www.nacab.org.uk
- Tax Credits : Can advise on entitlement for those working minimum of 16 hours a week
Tel: 0845 300 3900 (helpline)
Website: www.taxcredits.inlandrevenue.gov.uk
- Job Centre Plus
Can provide help and advice on job hunting and provide extra support, as well as advice on making a benefit claim.
Local branch: Gregson House, 2 Central Street, St. Helens
Tel: 01744 698 000
Website: www.jobcentre.gov.uk/jcp/index.html
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