Housing rents

The rent you pay covers the costs to the Council to supply, manage and maintain your home and include:

• Repairs & maintenance
• Modernisation & improvements
• Management & staff costs

Paying your Rent

Paying your rent and service charges is a very important part of the agreement that you have made with us. From the first Monday that your tenancy starts, it is your responsibility to pay your rent fortnightly in advance. Wherever possible, you should allow 5 working days for your payment to reach your account.

If you wish to pay your rent every calendar month, your payment should cover the following month so that you do not fall into arrears. When paying your rent monthly, you should remember that each month is a bit longer than 4 weeks. Please contact us if you wish to pay monthly.

Housing Benefit - Over 50% of our customers pay their property rent through this method. Please note you cannot receive benefit for garage rent.
If you are in receipt of any state benefit or if your earnings are low you may qualify for assistance in paying your rent.
If in doubt please contact the Housing Benefit Section on 01273 484056/4059, as there are large numbers of people failing to apply for their rightful entitlement.

Direct Debit - You can choose to pay fortnightly, monthly or four weekly in advance. Monthly payments are requested on the 1st of every month. You can request a form online using the Housing Rents Request form (see Related topics to the right of this page). If you have a bank account this method of payment is the best for us and the most secure payment method for you as it provides you with a guarantee that the correct amount will be collected. It is also the most cost effective method of payment for us leaving us with more money to spend on the management of your homes.

Standing Order - If the dates for Direct Debit do not work for your situation, you can set up a Standing Order, ask us for a form online using the Housing Rents Request form (see Related topics to the right of this page) and we will help you organise this with your bank.

Standing Order Forms	PDF	Word
2/4 Weekly Standing Order form
Weekly/Monthly Standing Order form

Post Office Swipe Card - This is a popular method and you can use the card at any Post Office in the U.K. Simply take your money and payment card to the counter and you will be given a receipt confirming your payment has been made. However this is an expensive service for us to maintain, so please consider switching to Direct Debit if you can. Request a card using the Housing rents request form (see Related topics to the right of this page).

Payment book - You can pay in at your bank or in the Handitill in the Council Offices at 4 Fisher Street, Lewes. You can request a payment book online using the Housing rents request form (see Related topics to the right of this page).

Cheques and Postal Orders - These can be sent either to the Finance Section at 4 Fisher Street, Lewes or The Rent Office at 20 Fort Road Newhaven. Please write your payment reference number on the back of the cheque. If you would like a receipt, please enclose a request and a SAE.

Credit and Debit cards - We accept most major cards. Please telephone the Rent Office, quoting your payment reference number. Again it is expensive for us to maintain this payment method, so if you are able to pay by Direct Debit it will help us to sustain a high level of service to you.
Please note we are unable to accept payments by Electron.

Home visit - For exceptional cases where you are unable to use another payment method. For example due to illness. We will collect your rent for you, however this service can only be operated in exceptional circumstances for a limited period of time due to the expense of offering such a service. However please contact us if you need to as we would rather you asked for the service than fail to pay your rent.

Office visit to Fort Road - Payment may be made by cash or cheque in the handy till situated in 4 Fisher Street or to a Rent Officer in 20 Fort Road Newhaven.

What should I do if I am having problems paying my rent?

If you are having problems in paying your rent or are falling behind with your payments please contact the Rent Team straight away so that we can advise you on what you can do.  When contacting the Rent Team, please have your 12-digit payment reference, or your account number, which starts 0000 to hand as you, will be asked for this information.  The worst thing that you can do is to ignore the problem in the hope that it will go away. The sooner you contact, the easier it will be for us to assist you. We can give advice on payment methods; benefits which you maybe entitled to; and agencies you could contact to get independent advice and help with your debts. If you cannot pay all that you owe in one payment, we can reach a reasonable agreement with you that will enable you to pay off the money by regular payments. Once you reach an agreement with us, it is important that you stick to it.

What will happen if I do not pay my rent?

If you do not pay your rent and do not contact us to discuss the problem, a member of staff from the Rent Team will contact you to try and assist you.

 If you persist in not paying your rent, you may be served with a Notice of Seeking Possession if you are a Secure Tenant or a Notice to Quit if you are a Non-Secure Tenant. This is the first stage of Legal action and allows you 28 days to pay the debt in full or reach an agreement with us.

If you choose to continue not to pay your rent or reach an agreement with us, we will then apply to the County Court for a Possession hearing. The Judge may make an order, which requires you to pay a certain amount on a regular basis. If you fail to make payments as ordered by the Judge, we can apply for a warrant to evict you from your home. In some circumstances, we may ask the Judge for outright possession of your home.

If we have to take legal action against you because you have not paid your rent, you will be charged for the court costs, and will have to pay these as well as the rent arrears you owe.

If we apply for a warrant to evict you from your home, you have the right to appeal against this decision by applying directly to the County Court. If you are evicted because you have not paid your rent, we do not have to re-house you elsewhere, and you will have to find your own accommodation.

Since April 2004, we have evicted 14 households who have not paid their rent. Do not let this happen to you. Please contact the Rent team if you are having any difficulties in paying your rent- we are here to help.

What will happen if I am in arrears with my Rent?

•  You risk legal action being taken which may result in Court Costs; a County Court Judgement against you; and the possibility of losing your home
•  You will not be allowed to transfer to alternative accommodation.
•  You will not be allowed to carry out a mutual exchange.
•  You will not be able to rent a garage from us.
•  You will not be eligible for our Room-A-Year redecoration scheme.
•  You will not get a good reference from us i.e. for another landlord, bank, and building society.

Who to Contact

The following people are available Monday to Thursday 8.30 am to 5.00 p.m. and 8.30 am to 4.30 p.m. on Friday to discuss your rent account

Jane Dowle, Senior Rent Officer 01273 484300 
Owen Goodey Rent Officer  01273 484299
Paul Demetriou, Rent Officer  01273 484318

When contacting the Rent Team, please have your 12-digit payment reference, or your account number, which starts 0000 to hand as you will be asked for this information. You can also email us at housingrents@lewes.gov.uk