If you are having difficulty paying your rent - speak to us
Our Income Collection Team are a specialist team who are well-trained and very knowledgeable. We can advise you about benefits and help you take control of any debts you have. We work closely with local councils, especially the housing benefit and supporting people departments. We also work closely with Citizens Advice and other agencies who can give you independent advice.
Call the Income Collection Team at Harvest Response straight away on LoCall 0845 345 0272 and talk to us.
We can oly help if you let us know you are having difficulty.
Anyone can fall behind with their payments at some time - it can only takle a small change in your circumstances to make a difference. You may be in difficulty because you are not getting the benefits you are entitled to, or you may have other money worries. Whatever they are, please don't ignore the problem - it won't go away.
Usually, people don't deliberately choose to stop paying rent. But, to help everyone, we need to collect all the rent owed.
Remember that our Income Collection Team are here to help you. We can give you help and advice, but first we need to understand what is wrong.
What we will do to help
We can discuss your circumstances with you and agree how you can catch up with your arrears or pay your rent.
We can:
- give yiou time to sort out your debts
- help you fill in any forms you need to, for example housing benefits forms
- give you advice on benefits you may be entitled to
- help you plan your budget. It is best to pay bills as often as possible, for example paying your annual TV licence over 12 monthly installments. We can help with this and plan your weekly budget so you can pay your rent and other household bills
- give you an estimate of the benefit you are entitled to and how much rent you will have to pay
If you don't pay your rent
Your rent is your most important bill - its a priority debt. If you consistently do not pay your rent, you will lose your home. We will have to take action if you don't pay your rent or make any attempt to work with us to solve the problems that prevent you paying your rent.
You may:
- have to attend court to explain why you haven't paid your rent and you will also have to pay the court costs
- get a court order insisting you pay the arrears or instructing your employer to take them out of your wages
- have your name put on the register of County Court Judgments. This means you won't be able to get credit, another tenancy or loan.
If you are evicted for rent arrears, Harvest Housing Group will not rehouse you. Other housing providers may class you as 'intentionally homeless' and you may not be eligible for help or a home from them.
Whatever stage you have reached, it is not too late to take action. We will work with you yo help you solve the problem. But if you do nothing, you could lose your home. Before this happens we will send you letters and try to contact you to explain what we are going to do. Please do not ignore these - we do want to help you.
More help
If you need more help to sort out your debt, you can get free advice from:
- Citizens Advice - you will find their details in the local phone book
- National Debtline - call them on freephone 0808 808 4000
- the Consumer Credit Counselling Service - call them on freephone 0800 138 111