Rents - Collection and Benefits
Rent is the money we charge for providing a home and services. Our rents are set following government guidelines and are due weekly on a Monday unless you have made other arrangements with us.
The tenancy agreement identifies the amounts payable to us, which may be made up of a number of different charges.
• Rent - This is a charge made by us for the use and occupation of your home. When setting rents we take into account the management and maintenance costs, loan charges and money put aside for future major repairs.
• Service charges - If services, such as ground maintenance, servicing of lifts, lighting and cleaning of common areas are provided by us then a service charge will be payable in addition to the basic rent. The services provided will be identified in your tenancy agreement.
• Heating charge - In certain schemes, mainly retirement housing, we provide heating and hot water. If this is provided it will be identified in your tenancy agreement.
• Water charges - In some cases we collect these on behalf of the water authority. Many new properties have a water meter, in this situation the payment is made direct to the water authority. The amount paid for water and sewage is the actual amount we are charged by the water authority.
It is important that we are successful in collecting rents to meet our business and financial commitments. To do this, we will provide support and advice to help you to deal with your financial affairs. You may be entitled to claim Housing Benefit which is paid by the Local Authority to assist you with housing costs.
It is your responsibility to claim Housing Benefit but if you think you may be entitled to Housing Benefit and you are not sure how to make a claim or if you are experiencing any difficulties in paying your rent please contact our Customer Services as soon as possible on 0844 800 3 800.
Our staff will provide advice and assistance in the strictest confidence and can arrange for a housing officer to come to your home to offer advice and support to help you through any difficulties.
Further information and advice can be found in our Service Standards section of the site and downloading the Rent Collection leaflet.