Residents' handbook - Moat

SECTION 4MONEY MATTERSMONEY MATTERSService charges pay for services such as caretaking, cleaning, groundsmaintenance, lighting, paths and parking areas, lift maintenance, etc.Theservice charge is paid in addition to your rent, although you pay boththe rent and service charge at the same time.When setting the rent we do not discriminate between residents whoare eligible for housing benefit and those who are not.The rent chargedis the same regardless of the source or level of your income.The rent for your home will be stated in your tenancy agreement.An annual rent increase is applied from the first Monday in April ofeach year. We will tell you about this in advance. Service charges arealso reviewed annually. It is your responsibility to make sure that theamount you pay is correct and to notify the local authority of your rentincrease if you receive housing benefit.Payment methodsPaying your rent by direct debitIf you pay by direct debit, your rent and service charges are paid to usdirect from your bank account.This takes place monthly either on the1st or 15th of each month, or it may be paid weekly or fortnightly.You will need to complete a direct debit payment form, available fromus on request.When your rent is reviewed in April, any changes to the payments willtake place automatically.The Direct Debit Guarantee means thatchanges to your rent or service charges are notified separately to you,giving at least one month's notice, and your bank will refund anyamount paid in error.We recommend you choose this method of payment because it is theeasiest and most cost effective:• It will save you time, as you won't have to make a special trip or callto pay your rent4-2