About rent

To pay your rent, you will need the 8 digit rent payment reference number on your rent card. If you have forgotten your rent reference number, or have lost or had your card stolen please contact us on 020 8708 4708 (24 hours/seven days a week).

Setting up a  regular direct debit or standing order

You will need to complete a direct debit mandate or a standing order mandate.

• Email us to request a mandate form
• Or call 0208 518 2400 (option 2 then option 3) to set this up by telephone

Get a receipt

Please ensure that you keep your receipt or payment number when you are paying your rent. This is important should you need to prove or track a payment.

Consequences of not paying your rent

You are at risk of losing your accommodation if you do not keep up with your rent payments. If you feel you may be affected by rent arrears then please see our advice section on rent arrears.

All tenants have to pay us rent, directly or via Housing Benefit. The rent varies depending on the property amenities, size, type and location.

Conditions about rent:

• the amount of rent charged is non-negotiable
• your rent may be increased or decreased from time to time, usually each April
• you will be told in writing at least 28 days before any rent change
• your annual rent is split over 50 weeks
  
  

Other charges

In addition to your rent we may also charge:

• amenity charges - for communal heating and hot water
• service charges - for example for caretaking, grounds maintenance and communal electricity  
  
  

  When to pay your rent

  You should pay your rent every Monday, in advance. If you prefer to pay your rent fortnightly or monthly you can, but payments must be received in advance and not in arrears.

  Your rent balance

  We will send you a rent statement every  3 months which shows all payments and the balance. You can also ask us for a current rent balance at any time.

  If your rent account is in credit because you have paid too much, you can apply for a refund to us at:

  Income Section

       London Borough of Redbridge

       6th floor,  Lynton House

       255-259 High Road

       Ilford

       Essex IG1 1NY

We will check your account; if the credit is correct, we will send you a cheque. Alternatively, you can leave it to clear your future rent.

• You will be contacted by a Rent Recovery Officer either by telephone, letter or personal visit if you can't pay your rent
• We will help you to set up an affordable arrangement to repay the arrears
• We will take recovery action if you do not pay the arrears - this may lead to you losing your home

Please contact us if you fall behind on rent payments by:

• emailing the Rents Team
• calling 020 8518 2400 (this is a landline number)

We will try and help you if you are having difficulty paying your rent. However, if you ignore our attempts to contact you or you break an agreement to pay your rent and arrears, action will be taken which could lead to eviction.

Non payment of rent breaks your tenancy agreement.

We will use all legal means to recover any rent arrears. You will be told in writing, about any legal action and the likely consequences. The council does not want to evict tenants but if rent arrears are not cleared or contact made we will take the necessary action.

Action we may take if you are in rent arrears

Failure to deal with your arrears after you have been sent an arrears letter, telephoned or visited may result in Possession Orders, Suspended Possession Order or Outright Possession Order.

Possession Orders

You may be served with a Notice of Seeking Possession/Notice of Proceedings for Possession. If this happens and an arrangement to pay the arrears is not made within 4 weeks we will apply to the court for a Possession Order. There will then be a court hearing, which you should attend. The court can grant us 2 types of Possession Order.

Suspended Possession Order

This means that an order has been granted and provided you keep to the agreement made in court to pay off the arrears, nothing more will be done. If you break that agreement, we will apply for a bailiff’s warrant to evict you.

Outright Possession Order

You will be evicted and a date will be set for the eviction.
(You may also have to pay additional court costs that the court may award to us for having to take court proceedings against you, this could be up to £300.00)

Dealing with debt

If you find yourself getting into debt with your rent you should contact us as soon as possible to discuss your situation.

Please email firststage.rentrecovery@redbridge.gov.uk or call  0208 708 7676.

Citizens Advice surgery

Due to COVID-19 we are currently not holding Citizens Advice surgeries at Orchard Housing Office. 

Normally, however, we hold a surgery every Tuesday at the Orchard Housing Office from 10am to 4pm, appointments are free but booking is essential, please book by emailing: firststage.rentrecovery@redbridge.gov.uk

The surgery is for tenants and leaseholders to discuss:

• help with debt and other financial problems
• rent arrears, court cases, eviction
• service charge arrears
• tenancy related issues

If you make an appointment and can't attend, please tell us. There is a waiting list and we may be able to offer that appointment to someone else. We fund this service and we do not want any missed appointments.

Money management workshops

Due to COVID-19 we are currently not running these workshops.