As a tenant with us you must make sure that you pay your rent on time.
Lat year we evicted 59 households. They all lost their homes because they did not pay their rent on time.
Click the link to the right of this page to read Tanya's story about being evicted.
Remember, your rent is due weekly in advance. If you're paying fortnightly or monthly, make sure you pay on the first week of the cycle so your account doesn't go into arrears.
If you don't pay on time, your rent account will go into arrears and you will be breaching your tenancy agreement. We will let you know when this happens by writing to you, visiting your home, telephoning or texting you.
If you want to make sure that your rent account is up to date contact us on 0800 915 6660 or 0113 2141949.
As part of a Pay To Stay campaign, when you contact us via the Contact Centre, for example to report a repair, your rent account will be discussed with you. This is so that we can let you know if there are any problems with your payments.
Here, we answer some common questions about rent and rent arrears.
Why do I keep getting rent arrears letters when I pay my rent?
If you are paying your rent correctly you will not get arrears letters. If you are sent an arrears letter it means there is a problem with your account such as a late payment or a reduced payment. If you get a letter you should contact us as soon as possible so we can advise you what the problem is
I pay my weekly rent on a Friday, is this ok?
No, you are not paying your rent correctly. The Tenancy Agreement that you signed when you moved in to your property tells you that rent is due every Monday. Therefore, you should make payment on a Monday. If you pay on a Friday that payment will not show on your account until the following week and your account will be in arrears.
I clear the arrears on my account at the end of each month, is this ok?
No, you are not paying your rent correctly. The Tenancy Agreement requires that you pay your rent in advance if you are paying fortnightly or monthly. This means that you should pay enough to keep your account in credit until you make your next payment. You should never have arrears on your rent account.
I am entitled to housing benefit. Why have I got arrears on my rent account?
Housing Benefit payments vary depending on your income. You may still have to pay something towards your rent. If you don't pay each week it soon mounts up. When Leeds Benefits Service have assessed your claim they will inform you how much Housing Benefit you will get each week. If you do not pay us the rent that is not covered by Housing Benefit you will receive rent arrears letters from us.
Leeds Benefits Service will also send you review forms to see if your circumstances have changed. If you do not send back a completed form your Housing Benefit will be stopped and you will fall in to arrears on your rent account.
How do you help people with rent arrears?
We will do everything we can to help people pay off rent arrears, but they must be prepared to work with us.
As soon as someone gets in to arrears we will contact them by letter, telephone or visit them. We will help them complete and income and expenditure form so that we can work out a payment plan for them to pay their rent arrears.
Our Benefit Advisors can also help people identify what benefits they can get to help with their rent payments.
Why don't you take people with rent arrears to court
We do everything we can to help people avoid court action. We will write to them, visit them, telephone them and refer them for debt advice.
We take non payment of rent very seriously. Since April 2007 we have evicted 59 households from our properties - they lost their homes because they didn't pay their rent on time
If you evict me you have to find me another property to live in don't you?
No. We have no legal obligation to house you if you have been evicted. If you have nowhere to go we will help you find hostel accommodation with the help of Social Services or the homeless team.
How can I make sure my account does not go into arrears?
Pay the right amount and on time. Don't forget that rent is due on a Monday and in advance.
If you are not sure what you should be paying contact us on 0800 915 6660 and we will check your account for you.
Remember … PAY TO STAY!