What is our purpose?
We specialise in providing a service to tenants who have rent arrears. If you are in this situation, we will: try to help you to keep your tenancy encourage you to pay off all your rent arrears and keep a clear rent account What exactly do we do?
We aim to provide a high standard of service.
1.General.
We will…
- Deal with you firmly but fairly
- Be courteous and sensitive at all times
- Visit you in your own home if you want us to
- Talk and write to you in plain language
- Make special arrangements for those who have problems with English or with written/spoken words
- Keep good records of all discussions with you
2.Benefit/Debt Advice.
We will…
- Provide help with filling out Housing Benefit claims on request
- Talk to the Housing Benefit office about the progress of your claim
- Give you general advice on benefits, debts and money management if you want us to
- Inform you where you can get independent advice
3.Pay off arrangements.
We will…
- Try to make an arrangement with you for repayment of your debt
- Make a repayment arrangement that we believe you can afford
- Confirm any agreements made in writing
4.Legal Action.
We will not take legal action if …
- You keep to the terms of your repayment agreement
- Your arrears are due to delays in the processing of your Housing Benefit claim
If we take legal action we will …
- Advise you of your options and what happens next
- Recommend that you attend any court hearings
- Inform you where you can get independent legal advice
Please let us know if we do not meet these standards at any time.
Benefit/Debt Advice
Our benefits liaison officer can help you if you have a complex benefit problem. Before we can talk direct to the Housing Benefit office you will need to give us written permission to do so. Please contact us for details.
Pay off arrangements
We want to make an agreement with you which we think you can afford. To do this we will need to find out about your household, income and spending. If you have other debts it is important that you tell us about these too. We will treat the information you give us sensitively and in the strictest confidence, although we are legally bound to contact the relevant authorities if there is a change in your circumstances that might affect your benefit claim.
Legal Action
We do all our own legal work and attend court in person. Legal action is only taken as a last resort. Some actions are for money only, others may be aimed at re-possessing your home.
From Our Annual Report 2003-4... “We believe in the importance of talking and listening to our customers”. “One customer has written: I felt I was treated with understanding. I had gotten myself into a situation but am now back on track again. I would like to thank the debt team for their help and understanding.”
