During conversations with our Tenant
Overview group, we’ve been hearing
that rent statements aren’t always
easy to understand. We spoke to the
Council’s Credit Control team to see if
we could answer your questions.
Sometimes it looks like I’m in arrears when I’ve paid my rent. Why is that?
Your rent balance can be confusing because Universal Credit is paid monthly, whereas rent is due weekly and in arrears (due for the previous week). Often the payment cycles for Universal Credit, Housing Benefit and rent don’t match. The best way to see an accurate balance is to look at the balance at the date of your last rent payment.
If your rent is being paid though Universal Credit it’s important that you ask the DWP to pay the housing element direct to your landlord. This won’t happen automatically. Some people find themselves in arrears because they assume that their rent has already been paid by Universal Credit and it hasn’t.
Do I need to pay a service charge?
Depending on the type of building you live in, you many need to pay a service charge. Details of any service charge will be set out in your tenancy agreement.
Your service charge is not covered by Universal Credit so you’ll need to budget for it. If you pay a service charge it’s best to set up a standing order with the Council’s Credit Control Team.
What do I do if I have rent arrears?
The best thing to do is to contact your Account Manager on the Credit Control Team. They are keen to work with you and will be able to assist you to manage your rent account and your arrears. They can help you set up an affordable repayment
plan. They will also be able to refer you for additional support.
If you have rent arrears and you’re not actively working with the Credit Control Team to manage these, this is likely to impact on your ability to access property via bidding on Homemove.
Housing Online
You can have all the information about your home at your fingertips by signing up to Housing Online.
On Housing Online you can raise new repairs, view your ongoing and previous repairs, view your rent accounts, view your tenancy agreement, make payments, and update your contact details, language and ethnicity details.
You just need your account number to sign up. The Council’s Credit Control team will be able to tell you your account number if you don’t have it. You can call them on 01273 294400 option 3 or email
CreditControlTeam@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Ways to pay your rent and charges
Bank Standing Order
With a standing order, you can set up a regular payment with your bank to make sure your rent is paid on time. Please take the following information
to YOUR bank to set up a Standing Order from your bank account:
Council Bank: Lloyds Bank
Account Name: Brighton & Hove Council
General account
Account No: 10631660
Sort Code: 30-80-12
Reference No.: (your payment reference number)
Using the Internet
Go to www.brighton-hove.gov.uk and click pay
online – please quote your reference: (your payment reference number)
Over the Telephone
Call 01273 294400
(Option 3)
