Your rent

Rent payment options

If you have any queries in relation to your Housing Benefit entitlement please contact the Housing Benefit service centre on 020 7364 5001.

Pay your rent

How is my rent worked out?

Your rent is worked out by the council using a formula set by the government. All councils and registered social landlords use this formula. Rent levels are usually set once a year by the Council.

The following are taken into account when working out your rent:

• average manual wages in Greater London
• the value of your home
• the number of bedrooms in your home

Your rent may be different to your neighbours because you have more bedrooms or if your home is valued higher - for example, because it has a garden. Rent may be different for identical homes in different locations, as the location is a factor in working out the value of a home. We will give you at least 4 weeks written notice of any change to your rent, service charge, heating, or other charges.

A mistake on your rent account

If you think there has been a mistake, please contact us. We will be able to investigate and sort out any problems. If you have made a payment, but it is not showing on your account, you will need to bring your payment receipt to the office (or send it), so we can make sure that the correct amount is put onto your account.

Rent increases

If you have any questions about your rent increase notification or payment method, please contact us. We're here to help.

If your rent is paid by Housing Benefit we will notify Housing Benefit of your changes in rent and eligible charges. You will be notified by the Housing Benefit service of your new entitlement. They will make your rent payments to us as usual.

What happens if I fall into rent arrears?

You may fall into rent arrears if you:

• pay late
• pay too little
• miss a payment

We take rent arrears very seriously. While we give every consideration to residents who are in genuine difficulty, our first priority is to collect all rent due, so we can provide the services you need.

If you do owe rent, we advise you pay the rent arrears as quickly as possible, ideally in one payment, to clear the whole amount. If you can't do this, please contact us. You will be able to talk to an arrears officer in our Income Team, who will give you advice and try to help you find a way to solve the problem. This may include a plan to make realistic and affordable payments to clear your arrears over a period of time.

If you do have problems, it is important to tell us. You may be able to get help with your rent through a claim for housing benefit. We can refer you to an independent local advice agency for specialist benefit and money advice and we can make an appointment for you with the Citizens Advice Bureau for independent advice.

NEVER ignore the problem – ignoring the problem will not make it go away. Ignoring your arrears may result in you facing legal action, court costs or even losing your home.

NEVER ignore any letters from us. Please contact us as soon as possible to talk to an arrears officer, who will work with you to help find a way to solve the problem.

Housing benefit

If you are waiting for housing benefit to be paid, contact us. We may be able to tell you whether you will be able to get housing benefit. Housing benefit claims should be sorted out within four weeks of the housing benefit team receiving your claim form. We will not usually take legal action against you if we know you are waiting for a claim to be sorted out, and you are making payments.

Remember that housing benefit does not pay for water rates (or charges for garages, car spaces, store sheds or home insurance), even if it is included in your rent - you will still have to pay these charges yourself.

Moving out

Owing rent at the end of your tenancy

If you owe rent at the end of a tenancy, we will pursue this. If you are a former tenant who owes rent, it’s important that you contact us to discuss these issues. If you can't pay the debt off in one go, we could negotiate repayment by installments. As a last resort, we will take the former tenant to court to get an ‘order for payment’. The addition of court costs makes this an expensive option for the former tenant.

If a joint-tenant moves out

As joint tenants, you are both responsible for your home and for the payment of rent. If one of you leaves your home, the remaining person must pay the full rent. Contact your local housing office for more details. If you receive housing benefit, you must tell the council's housing benefits team.

What happens if you do not pay your rent

When all else fails, we do evict residents who have not paid their rent. If you are evicted for rent arrears, the council or other local authorities may have no obligation to rehouse you - even if you have a family. Owing rent is more serious than you think. It could prevent you from:

• Transferring to another home
• Swapping your home with another tenant
• Buying your home
• Renting a garage, car space or store shed

If you don't contact us or keep to an agreement to pay the debt, we may take legal action and ask the courts to take back the property and evict you.

• You may be liable for court costs
• This may result in a county court judgment against your name, which will affect your ability to get credit or a loan. (A county court judgment will remain against your name indefinitely.)
• If you are evicted for rent arrears, other local authorities may have no obligation to rehouse you - even if you have a family

We will always try to help you to remain in your home, but it is more difficult to make agreements once eviction proceedings have begun. The earlier you take action or get advice the better. You can apply for the warrant of possession to be suspended. This application can only be made to the court. You can also get free advice from local advice agencies.

The court process

Once we have exhausted all other courses of action we will apply to court to take the property back. The process will follow these steps:

1. You will receive a summons to attend a court hearing (called ‘hearings in possession proceedings’)
2. If you receive a summons, you may get free legal representation through certain schemes
3. The court may decide to issue you with a ‘possession order’. This has the things you must do (called 'terms and conditions') to avoid being evicted
4. If you are facing a possession order, you should seek independent legal advice. You can contact a solicitor directly, or contact a local advice agency for free advice
5. If you do not do the things the possession order says, the court will issue a ‘warrant of possession’ to you. This means that we have the legal authority to evict you. The court will tell you the date and time that the bailiff will arrive to evict you
6. You may apply for the warrant of possession to be suspended. You can only do this at the court, not Tower Hamlets Homes, or the council. The court will consider your case again, but may not agree to alter the decision

Water and heating bills

Heating bill

Your heating bill will be paid for as part of your rent. If your heating breaks down and you stop paying for the service without telling us, your rent and service charge account will go into arrears. We take arrears very seriously and we will take action to recover them, which could lead to you losing your home. Please don’t just stop paying, contact us. If you qualify for a rent refund, we will arrange to refund your account for the period you were without the service.

Water bill

Payments need to be made to Thames Water directly and it is the responsibility of tenants to pay. Thames Water will split your bill into monthly instalments and send you a PayPoint card which can be used at any PayPoint outlet in the UK. Your card comes with instructions on how to use it as well as a list of your closest PayPoint outlets. Thames Water will send you more details on how to set up a different payment method or change your instalments if you’d prefer weekly or fortnightly.

Find out more at Thameswater.co.uk or call them on 0800 316 9800.

How can I contact the Income Team?

You can get in touch with the Income Team at:

Tel: 020 7364 5015
Email: Rents@towerhamlets.gov.uk