Problems paying rent
Quicklinks:
Please tell us straight away if you have any problems paying your rent. You can write, phone or call in person to Ascham Direct. We can offer advice and arrange for you to pay any debt you owe us in instalments. If you do not let us know, we can’t help you.
When you contact us, we will need to know:
- your income
- your outgoings, for example, which other bills you have to pay
- food and travel expenses, and
- how much you can offer in order to pay the debt off by instalments
You must keep to any agreement you make to pay by instalments or we will take legal action against you to get back the money you owe and you could lose your home.
If you receive Income Support and you are behind with your rent, the Benefits Agency can take money from your benefit and pay it directly to us. To find out if this is possible, contact Ascham Direct on 020 8496 4197 or the Benefits Agency at Ilford.
What happens if I owe rent?
If you have not paid your rent or you do not pay the agreed instalments, we will take legal action. You should try to get independent advice from the citizens advice bureau, the council’s Consumer Protection Department, the Housing Aid Centre, a law centre or a solicitor, and contact us straight away to let us know you have done so.
First of all, we will give you a notice of seeking possession. This tells you that at the end of four weeks we can apply to the county court for a hearing date when we can ask for your home to be taken away from you.
If you receive a possession notice, please contact us straight away so that we can try to agree instalment payments.
A possession notice is very serious because if we are granted a possession order:
- your name will appear on the county court judgement list and you may have difficulties getting hire purchase or credit facilities
- you may be evicted, or
- you may lose your security of tenure and you will not have the same rights as you did before
Will you rehouse me if I am evicted?
We will not rehouse families that are evicted for not paying their rent because they are found to have made themselves intentionally homeless.
Before we evict you, you will have been able to talk to us about your financial difficulties and you will have had the opportunity to get independent advice from the citizens advice bureau, the Consumer Protection Department, the Housing Aid Centre, a law centre or a solicitor. You may also have your case presented to a panel of senior council officers who will make the final decision about your eviction.