Your Tenancy

Rent and Service charges

For information about rent and service charges or to contact the rents team please call 01744 63 73 83.

We will:

- Tell you about the different ways to pay your rent in leaflets, newsletters, posters and on our website.
- Offer advice on benefits you might be entitled to, and arrange an appointment with ourWelfare Benefits Officer if needed.
- Offer all new tenants a welfare benefits check.
- Help you to complete housing benefit claim forms.

How much you pay:

- There is a set limit to how much your rent can go up each year. The most your rent can go up is by the rate of inflation plus 0.5% plus £2 per week. So if your rent is £70 per week and inflation is 2.5%, it can't go up by more than £4.10 in any year.
- There is also a limit to how much any service charges you pay can go up every year. We will write to you to tell you about any changes to service charges.
- Your rent will increase on the first Monday of every April. We will not increase your rent at any other time. We will write to you at least a month before any increase, telling you what your new rent will be. Helena is committed to a 'firm but fair' approach to people who do not pay the rent that they owe us.

We aim to:

- Contact you within 1 week of you missing a rent payment to let you know you have fallen behind.
- Offer you a private interview at one of our offices or in your home to discuss your issue.
- Agree reasonable repayment rates to clear the amount you owe.
- Help you get extra income by checking extra benefits you may be able to claim.
- Give you advice if you need it about managing debts and budgeting. We can refer you to specialists such as the Citizens Advice Bureau.
- Take legal action against tenants who can pay but will not do so.
- Seek eviction only as a last resort.

How you can help

You can help us to help you manage your rent account by taking a few simple steps:
- Tell us how you intend to pay your rent and stick to that arrangement.
- If you pay your rent fortnightly or monthly remember to pay in advance.
- If you are going to miss a rent payment for any reason let us know in advance.
- Respond straight away to any letters we send you or telephone calls we make to you.
- If you are struggling to pay your rent, contact us straight away and don't ignore the problem.