Rent Arrears
If you are having problems paying your rent, you should contact your landlord straight away and explain your difficulties.
If you cannot get the situation under control, you are at serious risk of losing your home. If you become homeless for this reason, the Council may not, under the current homeless legislation, be able to resolve your situation.
You can get specialist advice from the organisations listed under Contacts see below.
Balancing your budget
If your arrears are not just a one off caused by some unusual and temporary circumstance, then you need specialist advice on balancing your budget. This involves looking at all of your income and expenses, including any other regular repayments you have to make for hire purchase agreements or other borrowings.
You can meet an advisor at the West Somerset Advice Bureau, or discuss your position over the telephone with the National Debtline or the Consumer Credit Counselling Service.
Sorting out Housing Benefit Payments
Sometimes arrears are caused by late payment of Housing Benefit.
If your landlord is a housing association, they are expected to work closely with the Housing Benefit team to sort out any problems with late payment of benefit. You should contact your Housing Officer.
If you have a private landlord, and have problems with late payment, you need to talk to the Housing Benefit team yourself.
Working out how you can repay the debt
If your arrears are a one-off, and you expect to be able to repay them soon, then aim to make repayment a priority against non-essential expenses. The sooner they are cleared, the less trouble they will be in the long run.
If your arrears have built up because you find it difficult to balance your budget, you will need to change your spending priorities enough to make a regular repayment, however small. If you cannot do this, you are likely to lose your home, and may have great difficultly getting another. After food, your rent should be your priority payment.
Making an arrangement with your landlord
Keep in touch with your landlord. Open and read their letters. Tell them what you are thinking of doing. In general, it is better for your landlord to come to a new arrangement with you to regularly pay back the full rent and/or arrears than it is for them to force you out. They are less likely to get a possession order from the courts if you are making realistic proposals about how to get the situation under control.
There are three things you must do:
- Work out how much you are going to pay off each week or month from the arrears.
- Put your proposal in writing to your landlord, setting out how you have worked out what you want to do.
- Make a regular payment, however small, in addition to the full rent due. This will show that you are willing to solve the problem, and may count in your favour if the matter goes to court.
Court Action
If you are in rent arrears and you do not make a satisfactory arrangement to clear them, your landlord may seek a Possession Order through the courts, so that you can be evicted.
If you are worried about court action, or how to deal with your landlord, you can get advice from Shelter (Somerset Housing Aid Centre).
If you are issued a Notice Requiring Possession you should contact the Council's Housing department as soon as possible to discuss the situation with a Housing Officer and to establish what options are available to you.
Contacts
West Somerset Advice Bureau - Tel. 01643 704624
The Lane Centre, Market House, Minehead
Offers advice on housing issues and financial problems.
National Debtline - Tel. 0808 8084000
www.nationaldebtline.co.uk (external link)
Gives advice on managing debt.
Consumer Credit Counselling Service - Tel. 0800 1381111
www.cccs.co.uk (external link)
Provides realistic advice on credit and debt problems.
Shelter (Somerset Housing Aid Centre) - Tel. 0800 1690317
Apsley House, Tower Street, Taunton
www.shelter.org.uk (external link)
Provides advice on housing problems and housing rights.
The UK Insolvency Helpline Debt Advice Service – Tel. 0800 074 6918
www.insolvencyhelpline.co.uk (external link)