Monty s guide to paying your rent

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August Gardner
5 years ago
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Meet up with Rex All you need to know about paying your rent in Thanet

1 Monty s guide to paying your rent WIN A Hudl Tablet See P4 To do list: Pay my rent Go to butcher s Post letters Go for a walk Buy biscuits Take a nap Meet up with Rex All you need to know about paying your rent in Thanet Visit or find us on Facebook search East Kent Housing

8: Contact us Struggling to pay your rent? We are here to help: If you are having money problems and are struggling to pay your rent please contact us so we can help you.

2 We ve teamed up with Monty our money dog, to create a leaflet that explains everything you need to know about paying your rent. Monty s guide to paying your rent What s in this leaflet: Page 3: About your rent Page 4: Paying by Direct Debit Page 5: Paying online Page 6: Paying by phone Page 7: Paying with a payment card Page 8: Contact us Struggling to pay your rent? We are here to help: If you are having money problems and are struggling to pay your rent please contact us so we can help you. If you fall behind with your rent and you ignore our letters and calls offering help, you will be at risk of losing your home. If you have genuine reasons for not being able to pay your rent, perhaps your benefits have been temporarily stopped or you have been made redundant, we can help you plan a way of clearing your rent arrears. Our contact details are on the back of this leaflet - please get in touch. Read what happened to Debbie, when she ignored her money problems: Debbie told us: East Kent Housing had continually tried to contact me by letter, phone and text and I ignored them. I also had visits from my neighbourhood manager but I pretended I was out. The next thing I knew the bailiffs were knocking at the door and I had to leave the house. Afterwards I found out that I was entitled to receive extra benefits that would have helped me I m staying with a friend now and hoping to get my own place soon. Monty s tip: It s easy to ignore phone calls and letters but if you do, that s when problems arise. Please don t be afraid to get help and advice, that s what East Kent Housing are there for. 2

About your rent How your rent is worked out The council decides what your rent will be each year and we write to tell you at least four weeks before any change takes place.

When and where you can pay your rent You can pay your rent in a range of different places and ways depending on how you want to pay.

3 About your rent How your rent is worked out The council decides what your rent will be each year and we write to tell you at least four weeks before any change takes place. How often should you pay your rent? All properties have a weekly rent that is due every Monday, although you can pay weekly, fortnightly or monthly in advance depending on what s best for you. When and where you can pay your rent You can pay your rent in a range of different places and ways depending on how you want to pay. Please read our how to pay section on pages 4-7 of this leaflet to see the different ways you can pay your rent. How will you know how much rent you need to pay? We will send you a rent statement four times a year. These statements set out all your rent payments and rent charges. The statement also shows if your rent account is in credit or in arrears. What you need to remember when paying your rent You will need to quote your rent reference number, which is found at the top of your rent statement, every time you pay your rent. Universal Credit What s it all about? coming soon... Universal Credit is a new benefit that will be paid monthly to working age tenants (aged between years 6 months) who are in or out of work. This monthly payment will include your existing benefits and the money to pay your rent. Universal Credit will replace these benefits: Income-based jobseeker s allowance Income-related employment and support allowance Income support Child tax credits and working tax credits Housing benefit (this means you will have to pay your rent to us from your Universal Credit). How you can find out more? Visit our website or pick up a leaflet from a local office. Coming to parts of Kent in

How to pay your rent: By Direct Debit The most convenient and reliable way of paying your rent is by Direct Debit.

You can set up your Direct Debit over the phone and once set up, your Direct Debit will pay your rent indefinitely.

All you need to do is set up a Direct Debit to pay your rent by 31 March 2015 to be entered into the prize draw. Don t delay, set up your Direct Debit today to be in with a chance of winning.

4 How to pay your rent: By Direct Debit The most convenient and reliable way of paying your rent is by Direct Debit. You can set up a Direct Debit to pay your rent weekly every Monday or monthly on 1st, 16th and 25th of the month. You can set up your Direct Debit over the phone and once set up, your Direct Debit will pay your rent indefinitely. Set up a Direct Debit to win a Tesco Hudl Tablet with our Monty offer* We re running a prize draw offering you a chance to win a Tesco Hudl tablet. All you need to do is set up a Direct Debit to pay your rent by 31 March 2015 to be entered into the prize draw. Don t delay, set up your Direct Debit today to be in with a chance of winning. (You will also get peace of mind knowing your rent is paid on time!) *Terms and conditions apply. WIN A Hudl Tablet How you can set up a Direct Debit to pay your rent It s easy, just call and select option 3 to speak to a member of the team to set up your Direct Debit. The Direct Debit Guarantee The law says that we must give you 14 day s notice of any proposed change to your Direct Debit payment. We will never make any changes to the date or amount without informing you first. 4 Monty s tip: Still using a piggy bank for your money? Call our Benefits and Money Advisor, Amie, on to find out how you could set up a bank account to suit your needs, plus get help with other money matters.

Pay your rent online You can pay your rent by visiting www.eastkenthousing. org.uk It s really easy to pay your rent online, just a few clicks and it s done!

eastkenthousing, select the pay my rent section on the right-hand side and then select the area you live in.

5 Pay your rent online You can pay your rent by visiting org.uk It s really easy to pay your rent online, just a few clicks and it s done! So if you regularly use your computer - perhaps you do your shopping online or you use Facebook paying online could be the best option for you. How to pay online: Visit select the pay my rent section on the right-hand side and then select the area you live in. A range of different ways to pay your rent will be shown and you select pay your rent online which will take you to the online payments page on the Thanet District Council website. Don t forget You will need your rent account number ready. (This is the 13-digit number located on the bottom right of your Rent payment card). When entering your rent account number, use the drop down menu for the first 2 digits and then manually enter the remaining 11 digits. Add the amount you need to pay and your account will then be credited with that amount and updated. Monty s tip: The great thing about paying your rent online is you can do it when it suits you! I like to pay my bills online and then I relax in a nice warm bath! 5.

How to pay your rent: By phone Using our 24-hour automated payment line You can call 01843 577259 to pay through the automated system. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Please note: If you pay by credit card a 1.5% additional charge may be added to your payment.

6 How to pay your rent: By phone Using our 24-hour automated payment line You can call to pay through the automated system. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It s easy to use too, you just enter your rent account number, your debit or credit card details and the amount you are paying. Your account will then be credited with that amount and updated. Please note: If you pay by credit card a 1.5% additional charge may be added to your payment. Monty says: If you get to the end of a busy day and haven't paid your rent just call the 24 hour payment line, available seven days a week - leaving you more time to listen to your music. Need to speak to our Income team? If you have a query with your rent or need to set up a payment arrangement such as a Standing Order please call the Income team on during office hours (9am-5pm). 6.

How to pay your rent: With a rent payment card If you like to pay your bills in person, at a local post office or shop, this might be the option for you.

You can request a rent payment card by: Calling 01843 577262 Texting 80011 starting with EKH then with your name and address.

Don t forget: You will need to keep your account up-to-date by paying your rent some other way until your payment card arrives.

7 How to pay your rent: With a rent payment card If you like to pay your bills in person, at a local post office or shop, this might be the option for you. Rent Payment Card Need to request a card? You can request a rent payment card by: Calling Texting starting with EKH then with your name and address. Please make sure you tell us your full address - including postcode, when ordering. Don t forget: You will need to keep your account up-to-date by paying your rent some other way until your payment card arrives. You can do this by phone or online via our website How do you know if a shop or post office accepts my payment card? All post offices accept our rent payment cards and all shops that display the Paypoint sign do too. Look out for places that display this logo: Monty says: There s loads of places where you can use your rent payment cards so why not do it when you are next out shopping! 7.

Need help? If you fall behind with paying your rent: We will try to contact you to find out what is stopping you from paying your rent and explain how we can help.

8 Need help? If you fall behind with paying your rent: We will try to contact you to find out what is stopping you from paying your rent and explain how we can help. If we can t get in touch by text, phone or post we will arrange for someone to visit you. Please don t ignore us, get in touch instead. How you can contact your rent team: Text starting with EKH then your name and address. Our rent team will call you back Call your local Rent team on Direct Message us on Facebook Need help with your Benefits or with other money matters? Speak to our Benefits and Money Advisors, they can help: Explain how or if the Benefit changes will affect you Maximise your income Give advice and support on budgeting Where appropriate, refer you to another agency that might be able to help you Contact Amie Godden: Call , text or amie.godden@eastkenthousing.org.uk Useful contacts: Step Change Debt Charity: Visit or call Kent Savers: Visit or call National Debtline: Visit nationaldebtline.co.uk or call Citizens Advice Bureau: Visit or call Money Advice Service: Visit or call Disclaimer: The information in this leaflet is correct to the best of our knowledge, East Kent Housing does not accept any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions.

Monty s guide to paying your rent

Monty s guide to paying your rent WIN A Hudl Tablet See P4 To do list: Pay my rent Go to butcher s Post letters Go for a walk Buy biscuits Take a nap Meet up with Rex All you need to know about paying