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Your rent
Setting and changing the
rent - Rent-free weeks - Rent
statements - Other charges - Paying your
rent - Housing benefit
Setting and changing the rent
Your rent contributes towards the cost of supplying, managing
and maintaining council homes. Each year, we consider how much we
need to run the Housing Service and set the level of rent as a
result. For your protection, increases in rent are restricted by
government regulations to prevent landlords setting unreasonably
high rents.
Your individual rent also depends on things such as the size,
type and age of your home and on improvements that we may have
made, such as installing double glazed windows.
There may be extra charges included in your rent such as rent
for a garage, a shared cleaning service or estate services. The
amount of weekly rent you pay is shown on your rent statement. We
normally review your rent every year. We will tell you in writing
four weeks before any change takes place.
Rent-free weeks
The way we work out your rent for the year means that there are
normally two weeks when you will not have to pay any rent. We
normally try to arrange it so your rent-free weeks fall at
Christmas. We will tell you each year the exact dates of the
rent-free weeks. If you are in arrears, you will still need to make
debt payments during this two-week period.
Rent statements
We will automatically send you a statement of your rent account
every three months. The statement shows all the charges made to
your account, and all the payments we received, including housing
benefit. If you need to check the balance on your account at any
other time, contact your housing officer.
Other charges
You pay council tax separately from your rent. The council tax
team will send you details each year. You are responsible for
paying your water rates, electricity, gas and any other charges
straight to the individual companies that provide them.
Paying your rent
Your rent is due every week. You must pay it on time.
To
help you do this, we offer you several ways of paying your rent, so you
can choose the one that suits you best. Rent must be paid in
advance, not in arrears. This especially applies if you pay
your rent fortnightly or monthly.
Housing benefit
If you cannot afford the full rent on your home because you are
out of work or you are on a low income, you may be able to receive
housing benefit to help you pay.
If you think you may be entitled to receive housing benefit, you
should make a claim straight away, as payments cannot normally be
backdated. You can get claim forms from our Chatham contact point.
You can also visit the Housing Benefits pages for more information.
To work out what benefits you are entitled to receive, housing
benefit officers will take account of your income, your rent and
your family circumstances. Please make sure you let the housing
benefit officers have all the information they need as soon as
possible. If you do not return your forms within the specified
time, you may not receive any benefit.
The Housing Benefit Office will tell you how much benefit you
are entitled to, and make the payments straight into your rent
account. If the housing benefit you receive does not cover the full
amount of the rent due, you will have to make up the
difference.
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