Former tenant arrears - Nottingham City Homes

Former
tenant arrears
Gone but
not forgotten
NCHLFT69
Rent

Former tenant arrears –
your questions answered...
This leafl et gives you information on how to end your tenancy
and, if you leave with rent arrears, who to contact and how
to repay them.
What are former tenant arrears?
If you stop being a Nottingham City Homes tenant, and still owe
us money, we will not write it off. We call these ‘former
tenant arrears’.
If you are struggling to pay, we will help you. But if you WON’T pay,
this leafl et explains what we will do to recover what you owe us.
How can I make sure I have no arrears
when I leave?
When you decide to leave your property you must give four
weeks’ notice in writing (these four weeks are chargeable
in rent). If you leave before this time you will be charged rent
for the whole four-week notice period.
If you claim housing benefi t you need to tell the benefi ts offi ce the
date you intend to leave the property.
2 Former tenant arrears

If you leave the property before the end of the four-week notice
period, you will receive your housing benefi t only up to the date
you moved out. You will have to pay the difference up to the end
of the tenancy.
Please make sure you hand your keys in before midday on the
Monday your tenancy is due to end and get a receipt. If the keys are
not received by this time you will be charged a weekly rent until the
keys are returned. This means that if you hand in your keys on the
next day, i.e. the Tuesday, you will be charged a full weeks rent, not
an extra day.
Please note, rent is charged one week in arrears. Once the tenancy
has ended you will be charged for a week’s rent amount after this
date, regardless of the time the keys are handed in.
If I have arrears already how
do I arrange to pay them?
You can make an arrangement to pay any arrears you may have
by contacting the Rents Team on 0115 915 4920
(Minicom: 0115 915 4113), or e-mail us at:
rents@nottinghamcityhomes.org.uk
3

What happens if a family member dies?
You must advise us of the death and of the date you intend
to return the keys.
We will send you a termination form. You must complete this and
return it with a copy of the death certifi cate. The tenancy will end
on the following Monday after the keys have been returned.
Housing Benefi t will end within the week of the tenant’s death.
Rent and other service charges will continue to be charged for the
property until the keys are returned.
What happens if my former tenant account
is in credit?
If you have given us your new address we will refund the
money to you by cheque.
If the tenant has died we will refund the money to their
representative by cheque (proof will be required).
4 Former tenant arrears

What action can we take to recover former
tenant arrears?
If you leave your tenancy with arrears and do not give us your
new address, we will use a tracing agency to fi nd you.
We will contact you, and give you the opportunity to make
an arrangement to clear the arrears on your account.
If you refuse to pay your arrears we will pass your details to a debt
collection agency, or take court action to recover the debt. This will
lead to extra legal costs.
Can I apply for another council tenancy
if I have former tenant arrears?
Any debts you have after ending a tenancy could prevent
you from being offered a property by Nottingham City Homes,
or any other housing authority, in the future.
Details of your arrears will be included in any reference we provide
regarding your tenancy, and could have a negative effect on your
credit rating.
5

Where to go for advice...
Nottingham Law Centre
119 Radford Road
Hyson Green
Nottingham NG7 5DU
Telephone: 0115 978 7813
Nottingham Credit Union
Telephone: 0800 093 7090
E-mail: info@nottinghamcu.co.uk
Website: www.nottinghamcu.co.uk
Financial Services Authority (FSA)
Website: www.moneymadeclear.fas.gov.uk
Nottingham’s Citizens’ Advice Bureau
32-36 Carrington Street
Nottingham NG1 7FG
Telephone: 0115 938 8050
Website: www.citizensadvice.org.uk
St Ann’s Advice Centre
The Neighbourhood Centre
Robin Hood Chase
St Ann’s
Nottingham NG3 4EZ
Telephone: 0115 978 7813
Community Legal Service Direct
Telephone: 0845 345 4345
Website: www.clsdirect.org.uk
Insolvency Helpline
Telephone: 0800 074 6918
Website: www.insolvencyhelpline.co.uk
6 Former tenant arrears

Bestwood Advice Centre
21 Gainsford Crescent
Bestwood
Nottingham NG5 5FH
Telephone: 0115 962 6519
Bulwell Advice Centre
21a Merchant Street
Bulwell
Nottingham NG6 8GT
Telephone: 0115 915 1500
Clifton Lane Advice Centre
Youth and Community Centre
13 Green Lane
Clifton
Nottingham NG11 9AY
Telephone: 0115 940 5551
Forest Fields Advice Centre
69 Wiverton Road
Forest Fields
Nottingham NG7 6NU
Telephone: 0115 962 6582
Meadows Advice Centre
10-11 Blackstone Walk
The Meadows
Nottingham
NG2 2HQ
Telephone: 0115 986 0197
E-mail: meadows-advice@btconnect.com
7

How to pay your arrears
Direct Debit
Direct Debit is a simple and easy way to pay your
arrears. Money will automatically be taken from your
bank account until the arrears have been paid in full.
Paypoint
To set up a Direct Debit contact the Rents Team
on 0115 915 4920 (Minicom: 0115 915 4113).
You can pay your arrears at any local newsagent,
convenience store or supermarket that shows the
PayPoint sign by using the printed barcode on your
rent card.
Credit / debit cards
You can pay over the automated freephone hotline
on 0800 052 0173 at any time or on 0115 915 4920
(Minicom: 0115 915 4113) between 8.15am
and 6pm Monday to Friday, Wednesday 9.30am
to 6pm.
Online
You can pay by using most credit and debit cards.
You can pay your arrears on our website using your
credit or debit card. This service offers secure
payments 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Visit www.nottinghamcityhomes.org.uk
and click on ‘paying your rent’.
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By post
You can post a cheque or postal order, made payable
to Nottingham City Council to: City Finance,
Nottingham City Council, The Guildhall, Burton Street,
Nottingham NG1 2DE. Remember to write your
rent account number on the reverse.
A receipt will be posted back to you the next working
day by request. Please do not send cash through the
post. More information on paying by post is on the
back of your rent statement.
Post Offi ce
Post offi ces accept payment in cash, by cheque
(payable to Post Offi ce Counters Ltd) or most major
debit cards. You can pay if there is a bar code printed
on the front of your bill or rent card. Please take care
of your documents – if the bar code is damaged it may
become unreadable.
You will get a separate receipt which you can attach
to your bill or card. Please keep all receipts safe.
There is no charge for this service.
9

Get in touch
In our Rents Team
we have a number
of people who are here
to help you pay off
your arrears.
We have three fi nancial
inclusion offi cers
(FIOs, pictured right) who
are dedicated to working
with you to help you
manage your money.
If you are in arrears,
or struggling to pay your
rent and bills, our FIOs are
on hand to give advice,
help set up new payment
schemes and chase
up other organisations
on your behalf.
Your local fi nancial inclusion offi cer can be contacted
on 0115 915 4920 (Minicom 0115 915 4113), or you can e-mail
the Rents Team to arrange an appointment
at rents@nottinghamcityhomes.org.uk.
We have a number of local housing offi ces across the city.
If you are not sure of the location of your nearest offi ce call
us on 0845 330 3131 (Minicom 0115 915 7447)
or visit our website www.nottinghamcityhomes.org.uk.
Or why not visit us at the Housing Service Centre:
14 Hounds Gate, Nottingham NG1 7BA.
10 Former tenant arrears

Nottingham City Homes
14 Hounds Gate
Nottingham
NG1 7BA
11

If you are unable to read this publication, please contact your area
housing offi ce or call us on 0845 330 3131. We can arrange for
an interpreter to explain it to you, or send you a spoken word
version on tape or CD. If neither of these are suitable, we can
translate this publication into your chosen language.
We can also provide it in large print.
Si vous ne parvenez pas a lire ce bulletin d’information, contactez s’il
vous plait votre service du logement local ou appelez-nous au 0845 330
3131. Nous mettrons a votre disposition un interprete qui se chargera
de vous l’expliquer, ou vous l’envoyer en version parlee sur cassette
audio ou CD. Et si aucune de ces options ve vous convient, alors nous
pourons traduire le bulletin d’information dans la langue de votre choix.
Nous pouvons aussi vous le fournir en grands caracteres.
Phone: 0845 330 3131
Minicom: 0115 915 7447
www.nottinghamcityhomes.org.uk
Registered in England and Wales number 5292636 April 2010