Your Rent - Taunton Deane Borough Council

Section Three - Your rentBy postYou can send a cheque or postal order to:Taunton Deane Borough Council,The Deane House,Belvedere Road,Taunton TA1 1HE.Please make cheques payable to “Taunton Deane BoroughCouncil”. Please write your rent reference number, as detailed onyour rent swipe card, on the back of your cheque along with yourname and address. Please do not send your rent swipe card. Wewill only issue a receipt if you ask for one. Please do not send cash.Post officeYou can pay using your swipe card free of charge at any Post officein this country. Simply hand in your payment to the cashier alongwith your swipe card. Please make cheques payable to “PostOffice Ltd”. The cashier will return the card along with a receipt.Please keep the receipt in a safe place. It takes 4 working days fora payment made at the Post Office to show on your rent account.On the internetYou can pay by our internet website which you can find atwww.tauntondeane.gov.uk. Payments can be made using your debitor credit card. You will need to quote your rent reference number,as detailed on your swipe card.By telephoneYou can pay by using your debit or credit card. To pay please call01823 356356 between the hours of 8am - 6pm, Monday - Friday.We do not accept Solo or Electron card payments over thephone.48www.tauntondeane.gov.uk

Section Three - Your rentIn person - at:The Deane HouseWellington Community OfficeBelvedere Road30 Fore StreetTaunton TA1 1HEWellington TA21 8AQMon-Thurs 8.30am - 4.45pm Mon-Fri 9.30am - 4pmFri 9.30am - 4.15pmPlease bring your swipe card with you when you pay. You can payby cash, cheque, debit or credit card. Please make cheques payableto “Taunton Deane Borough Council” quoting your rent referencenumber and your name and address on the back of the cheque.The machine will issue you with a receipt. Please keep it in a safeplace.When to pay your rentWeekly - if you choose to pay weekly, payment is due every Monday.Fortnightly - if you choose to pay fortnightly, you must pay in advance.Four weekly - if you choose to pay 4 weekly, you must pay in advance.Calendar monthly - if you choose to pay calendar monthly, you must payin advance.If you need further information on when to pay please contact yourEstates Officer on 01823 356331 or 356332.It is your legal responsibility to pay your rent as it becomes due.We offer you several ways of paying.We will:• Provide you with a Rent Payment Card if you choose not to payby direct debit.• Offer you advice and support when you sign your tenancyagreement, to assist you in making prompt payments and completea Benefits check or a Housing Benefit claim form. This will helpwww.tauntondeane.gov.uk49

Section Three - Your rentprevent you falling behind with your payments (known as havingrent arrears) early in your tenancy.• Contact you by letter, phone or email within 2 weeks of your rentaccount falling into arrears.• Agree with you an affordable repayment plan should you fallbehind with your rent payments. This could involve paying offthe arrears in smaller amounts if you cannot pay the full amountstraight away.• Offer the opportunity to receive specialist debt & benefits advicefrom our Debt & Benefits Advisor at an early stage of arrearsshowing on your rent account.• If you require more intensive support in managing your tenancy,with your permission we will make a referral to the appropriatesupport agency to make sure you receive the support you need.• Visit you in your home within 4 weeks of your tenancy beginning.• Escalate recovery action against you when your rent arrearsincrease or they have stayed static because you have failed tomaintain any arrangement made to reduce the outstanding debt.This could involve us taking legal action to recover the rentpayments you owe. You could also incur the court costs and itcould harm your ability to get credit in the future if you applyfor such as loans or credit cards. As a last resort you may lose yourhome. We will always inform you of any action we intend to takeand give you an opportunity to reduce your arrears.• Offer you a confidential interview to discuss your rent at aconvenient time (within normal office hours) and place includingyour home if you are unable to travel to Taunton Deane BoroughCouncil offices.• Send you a quarterly rent account statement, but you can alsorequest one at anytime.• Publish an annual Rent Calendar in “Tenants Talk”, the tenants’newsletter.50www.tauntondeane.gov.uk

Section Three - Your rent• Give you a balance of your rent account over the phone providedyou can identify yourself as the tenant.• Send you written notification if your garage tenancy is to becancelled due to persistent arrears or failure or make regularpayments to reduce the debt.• Give you 28 days prior notification in writing when the amountof rent you pay is reviewed annually for any changes that takeeffect from April.• Give you 14 days prior notification of any increases to your directdebit payments.• Treat personal information as confidential.• Ask you what you think of our services and use what you tell usto improve those services.Other agencies you can contact for support and advice include:Citizens Advice Bureau – Tel. 01823 282235,Email: advice@tauntoncab.org.ukTaunton Deane Borough Council Housing Benefit Department –Tel 01823 356321 or 01823 356322Taunton Deane Borough Council Debt and Benefit Advisor –Tel 01823 356542Jobcentre Plus – Tel 0800 055 6688Age UK – Tel 0800 169 6565National Debtline – Tel 0800 881 8891Shelter – Tel 0808 800 4444Consumer Credit Counselling Service – Tel 0800 138 1111www.tauntondeane.gov.uk51

Section Three - Your rentIf you require further information please contact:Estate AssistantsTaunton Deane Borough Council,The Deane House, Belvedere Road,Taunton, TA1 1HETel: 01823 356319 Email: estate.assistants@tauntondeane.gov.ukHow we calculate your rentThe Government has set a single rent policy that applies to all HousingAssociations and Councils. It makes sure that your rent:• Is fair and less confusing• Reflects the size, location and condition of your home• Is affordable• Is comparable with houses of similar size, location and condition,regardless of who your landlord isWe will give tenants a minimum of 4weeks’ written notice of any proposedincrease in the gross rent.Service chargesinformationThe Government has told housingauthorities they must separatecharges for services that werepreviously included in the rent. Thereason for this is that charges previously‘hidden’ within the rent must now be visible sotenants are able to decide whether they are receiving value for money.Some service charges such as communal grass cutting are paid byeveryone regardless of whether you have a garden or not.52www.tauntondeane.gov.uk

Section Three - Your rentSupporting people servicesIf you receive support services your rent statement will separatelyidentify the rent and support charges. For more information aboutsupport charges and supporting people talk to your supporting housingstaff, Estates Officer or Lifeline Officer at the Deane Helpline.Withholding improvement works if youare in arrearsAs part of the ongoing strategy to reduce rent arrears, rechargeablerepair debts and court costs, we have a policy of withholding anymodernisation or improvement work to your property if you owe usmoney. This does not include work needed due to Health and Safety orFire Regulations, or where failure to carry out works could lead tofurther damage to a property, ie. re-roofing.Example of works restricted include:• Kitchen refurbishment including replacement of individual units• Bathroom refurbishment including recoating baths and extra tiling• Fitting of double glazing• Upgrading from partial to full central heating• Extensions including internal changes to form or divide rooms.• Changes of heat type• Fitting of new external doors• Fencing work• Construction of hardstanding• Rechargeable workswww.tauntondeane.gov.uk53

Section Three - Your rentWork will be withheld if you have:• Current rent arrears of £200 or more outstanding• Former tenant arrears - any amount outstanding• Repairs accounts - any amount outstanding for more than 30 days• Court costs - any amount outstandingIf arrears are outstanding at the start of housing improvement works, wewill exclude your home. However, if you clear your debt during thecontract, we may then reinstate your home on the contract list, if it ispractical to do so. Permission for you to complete improvement work onyour home will also be withheld if you have an outstanding rent debt.Housing Benefit and Council Tax BenefitHousing Benefit is a payment that helps towards the cost of rent. CouncilTax benefit is a payment that helps toward the cost of your Council Tax.If you are out of work or on a low income, you may be entitled toreceive Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. You should make a claimstraightaway as any entitlement cannot normally be backdated.For more information on making a claim please contact 01823 356321.You can also contact the Debt Benefit Advisor on 01823 356542 foradvice or help with filling in forms.It is important to tell the Housing Benefit & Council Tax Departmentimmediately about any changes to the information you gave on yourclaim form. If you do not let them know, an overpayment of benefit mayresult. You will be required to repay this.54www.tauntondeane.gov.uk

Section Three - Your rentFraud preventionWe have a duty to protect the public funds that we handle. Therefore,we may use the information you have provided about yourself and yourtenancy to help detect and prevent fraud. We may also share thisinformation with other agencies involved in fraud detection andprevention.If you have proof or good reason to believe that someone is committingfraud, please contact our Fraud Section on01823 356437.www.tauntondeane.gov.uk55