What should I do if I think I won’t be able to pay my rent?
Please get in touch with us as soon as possible if you have problems paying your rent.
Our Housing Team will be happy to take the time to give you professional advice and assistance in complete confidence.
Ignoring rent arrears will not make them disappear. Please contact us and we can nearly always agree a course of action with you to resolve your problems.
What happens if my arrears build up?
As well as helping you to remain in your home, we have a duty to protect the rights of other Mercian residents. We could not continue to provide services without the income we receive from rent payments. So, if your rent arrears continue to increase, we could be forced to take legal action which could result in you losing your home. This means it’s very important that you contact us as soon as you feel you may have a problem in paying your rent.
We hope that you never have such difficulties but if you are experiencing problems paying your rent here's some of the ways in which can help.
How we can help you?
There are few things in life more important than your home and we want to make sure that we do everything possible to ensure that you can live there as long as you want to. To support you we will:
- Advise you about the benefit options available to you, before your tenancy with Mercian even commences
- Offer a range of payment options that are easy to access
- Contact Housing Benefit departments, with your written permission, to check the progress of claims
- Send you six-monthly rent statements. We can also provide you with advice about your account whenever you call us
- Provide you with our own Don’t Get Down About Debt handbook, packed with useful advice and information
- Make realistic, affordable repayment agreements with you if you do fall into arrears
- Provide details of organisations that can give you impartial advice about housing and other debt
Above all else please remember that we can only help you if you contact us and tell us that you are experiencing problems. We will provide you with advice and, if necessary, put you in contact with other organisations such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, who may also be able to help.
Are you a Mercian resident? Why not tell us your views by answering our Question of the Month.
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