Council housing – rents

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Your rent is very important as it helps to pay for the housing services we provide to tenants and the maintenance of your home.  We have a firm but fair collection policy - we will offer advice and support to help you manage your rent account but we will always take action against those who do not pay their rent or will not work with us to pay off their arrears.

Remember that your Housing Officer is here to help you.

We will:

• provide a variety of payment methods so you will always have a choice about how to pay including direct debit, standing order, cash, cheque or debit card
• give you accurate information about your rent and other charges due
• send you a rent statement showing all payments and charges to your rent account four times a year
• contact you within three weeks if you fall behind with your rent and offer advice to help you deal with your arrears before they become too difficult to manage
• give you advice on your entitlement to housing benefit
• provide a Money Advice Service to help you manage your money if you are in debt or have financial problems
• work with you to set up a realistic and affordable agreement to clear any rent arrears or debt
• pursue all tenants (both former and current) who fail to reduce their arrears using a variety of recovery methods, including possession proceedings

How do I pay my rent?

You should have a payment card, which is white in colour and has your unique rent account number in the bottom right hand corner. You can use this card to make a payment at any post office in the country. Please note that the payment could take up to seven days to reach your account even if you pay at a local post office.

You can also pay at the Customer Enquiry Desk at the Civic Offices in Swadlincote between the hours shown below.

8.45am - 5pm Monday, Tuesday Thursday
9.30am - 5pm Wednesday
8.45am - 4.30pm Friday

You may also pay with a credit or debit card over the phone. If paying by phone please call 01283 595795. 

Paying by Direct Debit or Standing Order

Paying your rent by Direct Debit or Standing Order saves you making a journey to the post office or cash office and also means that you don't have to worry about paying your rent on time.

If you choose to pay by Direct Debit you must first complete a direct debit mandate which can be downloaded from the related documents section or collected from us. When this is returned to us we will calculate your payments and notify you of these along with the start date. We will take the required payment out of your account on or after the 28th of every month. It can be cancelled at any time by contacting your bank.

An alternative to Direct Debit is a Standing Order, which is an instruction to your bank to pay us. It gives you more control as you can specify which day of the month you'd like the payment made, but you will have to update the standing order if the amount you pay changes. Complete and return the standing order instruction, available in the related documents section.

For any further information about paying your rent by Direct Debit or Standing Order, telephone your Housing Officer.

Paying Online

You can use this website to make a payment

Housing Benefit

If you receive a low income or are in receipt of personal benefits you may qualify for housing benefit to help pay your rent. If you would like to discuss this further please call 01283 595795 and ask for 'benefits' or call in to see an advisor during the hours below: 

8.45am - 5pm Monday, Tuesday Thursday
9.30am - 5pm Wednesday
8.45am - 4.30pm Friday

For online information please visit Housing Benefit

Contact details

Housing Services
South Derbyshire District Council
Civic Offices
Civic Way
Swadlincote
Derbyshire
DE11 0AH

Tel: Payments: 01283 595795. Other issues: contact your Housing Officer
Online: contact form

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