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Contact
your Customer Accounts team (during normal office hours) on: 01249
466120 or email: customer.accounts@westlea.co.uk
The name of the officer who looks after your account is shown on all
letters we send you.
What do I do if I can’t pay my rent?
If you don’t pay your rent, you will be in rent arrears. ‘Rent arrears’ means the money that you owe us if you have not paid your rent or service charges on time. We know that, from time to time, you may have money problems and find it hard to pay the rent or service charges. If this happens, please ask us for advice straight away so that we can help you avoid getting into debt. There are lots of ways that we can help you before the problem gets too serious. We do not want to take legal action against anyone, but the more serious it gets, the more likely it is that we will take you to court.
We will treat your personal information as confidential under the Data Protection Act.
There are things you can do to avoid getting behind with your rent:
- If you find it hard to pay the rent, contact us straight away so we can give you advice.
- Work with us to agree a payment plan.
- Pay as much rent as you can afford, even if you can't pay the full amount.
- Claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit from your local council.
- Find out if you can claim other benefits or tax credits.
- Contact your local citizens advice bureau for help.
We will:
- when your tenancy starts, tell you how much rent you need to pay;
- ask for a rent payment or filled-in Housing Benefit claim form when your new tenancy starts;
- offer you a range of easy payment methods;
- give you advice about claiming benefits or tax credits;
- help you fill in Housing Benefit claim forms;
- help you sort out any problems you have with claiming Housing Benefit;
- offer you extra support if you need it;
- give you money advice; and
- tell you about other support agencies who can help.
Who should I contact to talk about this?
If you want to talk to someone about paying your rent, or paying off your rent arrears, please contact the customer accounts team.
Phone: 01249 466120
E-mail: customer.accounts@westlea.co.uk
The name of the person who looks after your account is shown on all letters we send you.
What will happen if I don't pay my rent?
We will:
- write to you within two weeks to let you know you are behind with your rent;
- give you advice about how to get out of debt;
- visit you if you are more than four weeks behind with your payments;
- make an agreement with you to pay off your arrears in smaller amounts if you cannot pay the full amount straight away; and
- tell you, in plain English, what we are going to do next.
If we cannot contact you or if you do not make the payments we agree with you, we will take further action. This may mean taking you to court.
What if I rent a garage?
If you rent a garage and fall behind with the rent on it, or on your home, we will give you one week's notice that we are going to take the garage back. We do not have to go to court to do this. We can also change the locks on the garage and charge you for the cost of doing this.
By taking back the garage, we will stop your arrears getting any bigger.
How do I make a complaint or comment about your service?
If you feel that we have treated you unfairly or dealt with your case badly, please contact the person that you were dealing with, or our customer service team. We will try to sort it out for you as quickly as possible. If we cannot do this, you can make a formal complaint.
To do this, please contact us in any of the following ways.
Write to:
Complaints Co-ordinator
Westlea Housing Association
Methuen Park
Chippenham
Wiltshire
SN14 0GU
Phone: 01249 465465
E-mail: enquiries@westlea.co.uk
What about if I am happy with your service?
It is always nice to know when you are happy with our service. If you think we have done something well, please tell the member of staff involved or the customer services team.
Money advice
North Wiltshire Citizens Advice Bureau
We have set up a scheme with North Wiltshire Citizens Advice Bureau to make sure you get help with:
- claiming the benefits you are entitled to;
- making your money go further;
- any financial difficulties;
- banking, and what to do if you don’t have a bank account; and
- finding affordable credit (saving and borrowing from a credit union).
If you would like to find out about benefits you may be entitled to
Your Citizens Advice project worker will:
- check whether you are entitled to a benefit;
- check you are receiving the right amount;
- help you to make a claim or appeal;
- help you if you have been paid too much and have to pay some back; and
- tell you how to get specialist help.
If you need help with financial problems
Your Citizens Advice project worker will help you to:
- put together a realistic budget;
- talk to people you owe money to, and agree affordable repayments; and
- deal with legal action taken against you.
You can contact the project worker by:
- e-mailing the Citizens Advice Bureau at westlea@northwiltscab.org.uk;
- phoning 01249 445115 (extension 3); or
- texting the Citizens Advice Bureau on 07890 733919.
If you would like to find out how to make your money go further...
The North Wiltshire Citizens Advice Bureau also has a ‘Money Friend’, who will help you to:
- reduce the costs of your electricity and gas;
- get the costs of your water supply reduced (depending on your circumstances);
- set up a bank account or credit union account which is suitable to your situation;
- apply for grants; and
- get access to the Government’s Child Trust Fund.
You can contact your Money Friend by:
- e-mailing the Citizens Advice Bureau at moneyfriend@northwilts.cab.org.uk;
- phoning 01249 445115 (extension 3); or
- texting the Citizens advice Bureau on 07890 733919.
The citizens advice bureau’s main phone number (for any other advice) is 0845 1203707.
The national Citizens Advice website address is www.citizensadvice.org.uk.
You can download a copy of this information in PDF format here.
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