The Income Team and Tenancy Sustainability Team are here to help if you are struggling to pay your rent.

How we can help

If you are in financial difficulties and struggling to pay your rent, it is important that you get in touch with the Customer Service Centre or email the Income Management Team as quickly as possible. The Income Team can help by:

• Agreeing an affordable repayment plan with you to clear the outstanding arrears
• Providing you with free debt advice through our dedicated Citizen Advice Bureau (CAB) Debt Advisor
• Putting you in touch with other organisations that can help.

If you want to check your balance, you can email our Income Management Team or call the Customer Service Centre on 0300 003 5454.

Tenancy Sustainability Team

Our Tenancy Sustainability Team can also help by:

• Ensuring you are getting the right benefits
• Looking at ways of reducing your bills
• Searching for grants and other funding that may be available
• Putting you in touch with organisations that can offer support.

You can contact the Tenancy Sustainability Team or ring 0300 003 5454 or you can find details on our financial support page.

You can also check if you can claim any benefits through an online benefits calculator.

Help with Employment

If you have recently lost your job or are long term unemployed, we can help you. Our UNITY team of experienced Job Coaches can:

• Discuss and support you to apply for Job Seeking benefits
• Provide you with telephone support to find and apply for jobs that are available
• Review your CV, suggest possible changes and make it stand out from the crowd
• Print your CV and post you copies so that you can use it to apply for jobs
• Practice your interview skills via telephone or social media video chat.

If you would like to speak to someone about employment support please email unity@communityhousing.co.uk or call: 01562 733 133.

Payment Options

We have listed below the various ways you can pay your rent.

Direct Debit

Direct Debit is our preferred method of payment. You can request a form to set up a Direct Debit by calling the Customer Service Centre on 0300 003 5454.

Payments are normally collected on the first working day of each calendar month or at the beginning of each fortnight your rent is due. When we receive your signed form, we'll set everything up and you will receive written confirmation of your payments and the dates they will be taken.

allpay Payment App

The allpay app can be downloaded via the Apple App store and Google Play store, enabling you to pay your rent from your phone or tablet.

Debit Card

Call our payment line on 01562 733007 to speak to a member of our Finance Team (available Monday - Friday, 8.30 am to 5.00 pm). You will then be transferred to a secure automated line to complete your payment. You will need your rent reference number to complete the payment.

Post Office, and PayPoint outlets

You will need your allpay payment card to pay at these locations. The Post Office accepts cash, cheques and debit card payments (cheques made payable to Post Office). PayPoint outlets accept cash. Please keep your receipt as proof of payment.

Automated 24 hour phoneline

Call 0330 041 6497 to make a debit card payment. You will also need an allpay payment card.

Text payments

You can pay your rent via text message at any time of the day. Just log on to www.allpayments.net/textpay to register.

Standing Order, BACS or Electronic Home Banking

Instruct your bank to make payments directly to Community Housing or transfer funds to our bank account, using the following details:

BARCLAYS BANK
Account name = Community Housing Rent
Sort code = 20-46-14
Account number = 30124222
Description = Your Property Rent Reference number. *

* It is essential to include your rent reference number in the description field otherwise we will not know who has made the payment.

Housing Benefit payments direct to you

If your rent is paid by Housing Benefit Direct to you, you can ask your local council to pay your rent direct to us.

Universal Credit

If you receive Universal Credit, your payment may include assistance towards your rent. This is known as the 'housing element'.

Universal Credit will allow payments to be made direct to us but only in limited circumstances for example, if you have demonstrated to the Department of Work & Pensions that you have difficulties in managing your finances or if you have built up significant arrears of rent.

Legal action

If you fail to pay your rent or contact us to make arrangements to clear the arrears, we will have no option but to issue a Notice Seeking Possession. This is the first legal step to obtain possession of your home.

If you do not contact us or seek to work with us, you are in danger of losing your home.

Is never too late to contact us to sort it out.