Rent arrears are what you owe in unpaid rent.

Rent arrears are caused by:

late payments
missed payments
part-payments.

 
What should I do if I have rent arrears?

You need to pay them as quickly as possible; ideally in one payment, to clear the whole amount. However, we realise this is not always possible. If you cannot do this, you should contact us to make an agreement to repay the money you owe. This agreement should be at a level that you can afford.

If you know you are going to have difficulty paying your rent or keeping to your agreement, you should contact us immediately as we may be able to help.

If you do have problems, you should keep us informed. Don't ignore your arrears and don't ignore any letters from us. Ignoring your arrears may result in you losing your home.


What should I do if I think there is a mistake on my rent account?

If you think there has been a mistake, you should contact us. We will be able to examine your rent account and sort out any problems. If a payment you made is not showing on your account, you will need to bring (or send) your receipt into the office so we can ensure that the correct amount is put onto your account.


What should I do if I am waiting for Housing Benefit to be paid?

If you are waiting for Housing Benefit to be paid, you should tell us. Housing Benefit claims should be sorted out within four weeks of the Housing Benefit office receiving your claim form. We may be able to calculate whether you will be entitled to Housing Benefit. We will not usually take legal action against you if we know you are waiting for a claim to be sorted out, and you are making payments. Remember that Housing Benefit will not pay for water rates if this is included in your rent - you will still have to pay this yourself.


What should I do if I cannot pay my rent?

If you are having difficulty paying your rent, you should contact us as soon as possible. We may be able to help or refer you to the local Welfare Benefit Advisor (or other agency). The Welfare Benefit Advisor can advise you on available benefits and how you can make the most of your income.

You can also get advice from a Citizens Advice Bureau.

If you do have problems, please contact us before we start taking legal action against you. If we don't know there is a problem, we can't help you. Ignoring the problem will not make it go away.


What will the council do if I do not clear my arrears?

If you do not clear your arrears, we will take legal action to recover your debt. We will do this as the last course of action. Our first step will be to visit you to discuss your arrears, and to make an agreement. If you do not keep to your agreement, or clear your arrears, we will serve a Notice of Seeking Possession on you. This is a legal notice telling you that we intend to take legal action if you do not pay your arrears.

The Notice of Seeking Possession is the first step to you losing your home. We will contact you when we serve this notice to discuss your case. If you are not available at home, we will invite you in for an interview.

If we do ask you to come in for an interview, please do so as it is for your benefit. If you cannot attend on the interview date, please contact us to arrange another time.
 

What happens if I am a joint tenant and one of us leaves the property?

As joint tenants, you are both responsible for the property and for the payment of rent. If one of you leaves the property, the remaining tenant must pay the full rent. If this happens you should tell us and the Housing Benefit section (if you receive Housing Benefit).


Do's and Don'ts!

- don't ignore your arrears.
- don't ignore letters from the council.
- do what the letters ask you.
- if you have problems - do contact us.
- not paying your rent can lead to you losing your home.
- if a joint tenant leaves - the remaining tenant is responsible for all of the rent.


For further information use the contact details below:

E-mail:   hes@waveney.gov.uk

Telephone:

Beccles	01502 523165
Bungay	01502 523164
Carlton Colville/ Kessingland	01502 523169
Gunton	01502 523125 01502 523126
Normanston	01502 523165
North Lowestoft	01502 523122
Southwold/ Halesworth	01502 523166
Whitton	01502 523121

Related link: Dealing with rent arrears