East Suffolk Council

Rent and rent arrears

Payment of housing rent during COVID-19 emergency

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 virus we understand that some tenants may face financial difficulties. Tenants with specific worries should contact us as soon as possible and we will discuss the options that are available. However, we would ask, where possible, that tenants with rent concerns please email estates@eastsuffolk.gov.uk rather than call us, to help keep our phone lines free for urgent repair enquiries. Otherwise, tenants should continue paying their rent as normal. Meanwhile, if you are a private tenant, with another social landlord, or own your own home – and would like advice about financial concerns, please contact your landlord/mortgage provider directly or go to the advice pages on the Shelter website for further information.

You can now use our online service for Tenants, myHome East Suffolk, to view the balance of your rent account and the history of payments and charges.

You can pay your rent by monthly Direct Debit to make payment more convenient. We have recently introduced additional Direct Debit dates and you can now choose to pay on either the 1^st, 8^th, 15^th or 22^nd of each month.

You can set your Direct Debit up using our online service for Tenants, myHome East Suffolk. If you do not have access to the internet, please contact your Rent Officer for advice on setting up a Direct Debit.

You should allow at least 15 working days for the direct debit to become effective. Direct debit is a safe and secure way to pay. Don't forget to pay your rent in the period between submitting your direct debit form and the date that your first direct debit is due.

• Other ways to pay your rent

Rent arrears

You must keep your Rent Officer informed of any difficulties you have in paying your rent. We will always try and help you or offer advice and refer you to where to go for help or addition support.

If you ignore letters sent or contact made from our officers, or bury your head in the sand, you could end up loosing your home. If you do not pay your rent, you cannot keep your home.

However, at all stages we want to avoid taking legal action against you, and we will discuss with you an arrangement for paying the arrears by instalments. If we cannot do that or if you fail to keep to a payment agreement, we will take further action to recover the debt.

The important thing is to get advice before rent arrears become too large.

If you do not deal with the debt it is probable that your Rent Officer will take action through the court. Last year we evicted 15 tenants for rent arrears, so it is important to understand that it is a sanction that the council will use.

Nine reasons not to fall behind with your rent

1. The council's Rent Enforcement Team, through the County Court, will start legal action
2. You risk eviction from your home
3. You will have to pay the additional costs of any County Court hearing
4. You will not have any improvements carried out on your home
5. A Possession Order can affect your credit rating
6. You will not be able to complete a mutual exchange or transfer
7. You could be prevented from buying your home in the future
8. If you are evicted from your home, the council has no statutory duty to rehome you
9. We will use debt recovery agencies to trace you to pay your outstanding debts.  

Where to seek advice

Free, independent advice can be sought from the following organisations:

• Citizens Advice Bureau - (look under 'counselling' in the Yellow Pages for your local office)
• National Debtline - telephone 0800 8084000 
• Consumer Credit Counselling Services (CCCS) - telephone 0800 0279595 

We have a dedicated Rent Officer, ready to help, if you live in one of our properties. It is important that they are kept informed.