What happens when you have rent arrears?

We understand that everyone can have money problems from time to time. If this happens to you, tell us and we will try and help. There are ways in which we can help you cope with falling behind with your rent. We can give you advice and information about benefits you can claim or how to handle any debts you have. We can give you details of agencies that can give you practical help. The main thing is for you to tell staff as soon as you have any difficulties, however temporary.

You will be able to talk to a Housing Officer who will give you advice and help find a way to solve the problem.

We believe that paying the rent should be one of the priorities for your budget. If rent arrears build up and you break arrangements to repay them we will take legal action against you. This may lead to your eviction, but only as a last resort. We will do all we can to help you, and give you advice and information. You must keep in contact with us and tell us what you will do to repay the arrears.

If you do not pay your rent, or if you break agreements that you make with us, we will issue a legal warning called a Notice of Intention to Raise Proceedings. This will be delivered to your home by our staff. A Notice must also be sent to any joint tenants and any other adults over 16 in your home. We will also tell the Council if your case is referred for court action, because there is a danger that you could become homeless. If you receive a Notice, you should take legal advice from a solicitor or Advice agency.

This Notice starts a 6-month period during which we can take legal action to end your tenancy.

We will tell you if we begin legal action and you should take legal advice if we do. It is never too late to take action to save your tenancy, but the longer you leave it, the fewer options there are.

Finally, we may get a Court Order to end your tenancy. We will only evict you if our Board approves it. We will check that we have done all that we could before making that decision.