Paying your rent

All tenants have to pay to live in their home. The Regenda Group offer various payment options to make paying your rent straight forward & easy.

Direct Debit: this is the easiest way to pay.  This option allows you to make a payment directly from your bank account and is ideal for customers who wish to pay on a weekly or monthly basis.  Please contact us for a Direct Debit mandate. 

Standing order:  Standing order payments can be set up on either a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis.  Please contact us for a standing order form or go directly to your bank. 

Post: You can send a cheque made payable to The Regenda Group – don’t forget to write on the back your name, address and tenant reference number, and never send cash in the post.
 
The Regenda Group
Regenda House.
Enterprise Business Park.
Northgate Close 
Horwich, Bolton 
BL6 6PQ.
 
 
 
Phone: We accept most major Debit and Credit Cards as payment over the telephone. 
 
Cash or cheque: You can pay, free of charge at the Post Office using your payment card (please make cheques payable to Post Office Ltd and write your name, address and tenant reference number on the back). 
 
 
PayZone: You can also pay using your payment card at any outlet displaying the PayZone sign free of charge. 
 
Check where your nearest  PayZone outlet is located.
 
On the internet: You pay online at billpay.  Billpay is an online service provided by the Alliance and Leicester bank.
 
Rent arrears - frequently asked questions
 
 
Rent is due from the day you begin your tenancy. If you make your payments late, or only make partial payments or miss payments completely your rent account will fall into arrears.
 
 
 
 
You need to pay them as quickly as possible - ideally in one payment, to clear the whole amount. However, we understand that this is not always possible. If you cannot do this, you should contact us to make an agreement to repay the money you owe. This agreement should be at a level that you can afford.

If you know you are going to have difficulty paying your rent or keeping to your agreement, you should contact your Income Generation Officer immediately as we may be able to help.

If you do have problems you should keep us informed. Don't ignore your arrears and don't ignore any letters from us. Ignoring your arrears may result in you losing your home.
 
 
If you think there has been a mistake, you should contact us. We will be able to examine your rent account and resolve any problems. If a payment you made is not showing on your account, you will need to bring (or send) your receipt into the office so we can ensure that the correct amount is credited to your account.
 
 
If you are waiting for Housing Benefit to be paid, you should tell us. Housing Benefit claims should be dealt with within four weeks of the Housing Benefit office receiving your claim form, provided that all the required supporting documentation has been received. We may be able to calculate whether you will be entitled to Housing Benefit. We will not usually take Legal Action against you if we know you are waiting for a Claim to be processed, and you are making payments.
 
 
If you are having difficulty paying your rent, you should contact us as soon as possible. We may be able to help or refer you to a Debt Counselling Service, Welfare Rights or other local Advice Agency, such as Citizen's Advice Bureau who will be able to advise on Benefits, and how you can maximise your income.

If you do have problems, please contact us before we start taking Legal Action against you. If we don't know that there is a problem, we can't help you.
 
Ignoring the problem will not make it go away.
 
 
If you do not clear your arrears, we will take Legal Action to recover your debt. We will do this as the last course of action. Our first step will be to visit you to discuss your arrears, and to make an agreement. If you do not keep to your agreement, or clear your arrears, we will serve you with a Notice of Seeking Possession. This is a legal document stating that we intend to take Court Proceedings if you do not pay your arrears. This is the fist step required in the Legal Process to take possession of your home.
We will contact you when we serve the Notice of Seeking Possession to discuss your account. If you are not available at home, it is essential that you contact us.

If we ask you to come in for an interview, please do so as it is for your benefit. If you cannot attend on the interview date, please contact us to arrange another time.
 
 
As joint tenants, you are both responsible for the property and for the payment of rent. If one of you leaves the property, the remaining tenant must pay the full rent. If this happens you should tell us and the Housing Benefit section immediately. (if you receive Housing Benefit).
 
 
 
I have received a Notice of Seeking Possession. What do I do?
 
If you have received a Notice of Seeking Possession, do not ignore it. This is the first step of Legal Action that we take against tenants with an unacceptable level of rent arrears.
 
If you have been served with a Notice of Seeking Possession this entitles us to take you to Court for Possession of your home. If you do not clear your arrears or make an acceptable payment arrangement to repay the rent that you owe. You may also incur costs at court which will be added to the debt that you owe.
 
You should make contact with us on 0344 736 0066 to either make an arrangement to pay off your arrears or be advised what to do next. It maybe that you have applied for Housing Benefit and your claim has not yet been assessed, if this is the case you must contact us immediately.
 
If you ignore the Notice of Seeking Possession and your rent account continues to remain in arrears, we will then apply to Court for an Order for Possession of your property.
 
 
I have received a Notification of Court Hearing. What do I do?
 
You should seek Legal Advice from either the Citizens Advice Bureau, or any other advice agency and you should also contact the Income Generation Department as soon as possible to discuss your arrears and try to come to an arrangement to repay them prior to the court hearing. It is in your best interests to attend this hearing as this is the time we will be asking the County Court to give us possession of your home due to unpaid rent.
 
 
I have received a Suspended Possession Order. What do I do?
 
 Do not ignore it. This means that the County Court has given us possession of your home, but it has been suspended on the condition that you pay an ordered amount towards your arrears by a specific date and then weekly thereafter. You must continue to pay this amount until the arrears are clear, as if you fail to do so, we can ask the County Court to issue a Warrant to Evict you from your home. If you have any questions concerning the Suspended Possession Order then please contact your Income Generation Officer on 0344 736 0066 or seek Legal Advice.
 
 
I have received an eviction notice, what can I do to prevent being evicted from my home?
 
If you have received an Eviction Notice, you need to act quickly. Do not ignore it, it will not go away. You can stop the Eviction from going ahead if you pay all the money that you owe to us right away. Or you can apply to the Court to suspend the Eviction and the Court will make the final decision.
 
You should seek Legal Advice from either the Citizens Advice Bureau, or any other advice agency and you should also contact the Income Generation Department as soon as possible to discuss your options. If you ignore the Notice, then we will go ahead and carry out the Eviction on the date on the Notice.
 
 
Can you evict me even though I have children?
 
 Yes we do evict families with rent arrears, even if you have children. This however is the very last resort. We will not tolerate rent arrears under any circumstances and will therefore take the appropriate action necessary to recover any debt that is owed. 
We have very stringent Policies and Procedures in place that try to prevent you from losing your home at an early stage. It is in your own interest that your arrears do not get to the stage where an Eviction is necessary.
 
Please remember
  • Do not ignore your arrears
  • Do what the letters advice you
  • If you have problems - do contact us
  • Not paying your rent can lead to you losing your home
For information about your rent account ring us on 0344 736 0066
 

 Other useful agencies

There are many agencies that are able to offer advice and assistance on your financial circumstances. These include:

  • Age Concern - 0161 833 3944
  • Citizens Advice Bureaux Tel - 0844 826 9695
  • Council Tax/Housing Benefit. (contact your local council).
  • County Information Centres. (contact your local council).
  • Department of Work and Pensions - 0800 99 1234
  • Education Welfare Service - 0870 000 2288
  • Social Services - 08458 247 100
  • Job Centre Plus - 0845 60 60 234
  • Pension Service. (for claims relating to Retirement Pension & Pension Credit). - 0800 731 7898
 
Help lines:
  • Benefits Enquiry Line/Forms Completion Service -
    0800 88 22 00
  • Carer’s Allowance Unit - 01253 85 61 23
  • Child Benefit Enquiry Line - 0845 302 1444
  • Child Support Agency - 0845 7 133 133
  • Disability Advice and Information Centre - 0800 88 22 00
  • Disability Living Allowance/Attendance Allowance Unit -
    0845 712 3456
  • Ethnic Minorities Development Association - 01254 680757
  • Help the Aged - 020 8765 7200
  • Inland Revenue Tax Credit http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/index.htm
  • NHS Direct - 0845 4647
  • Pension Credit Helpline -0800 99 1234
  • Pensions Forecast Advice Line -0845 3000168
  • Shelter 24 Hour Helpline - 0808 800 4444
  • Supporting People. (housing related support service) -
    01325 388108
  • The Veterans Agency Helpline - 0800 169 22 77
  • Tax Credits - 0845 300 3900
  • Winter Fuel Payments - 0845 9 151515
Telephone numbers and addresses for your local branches can be obtained from your local telephone directory, a directory enquires service, the internet or you can call the Shared Service Centre on 0344 7360066 and ask for the Income Generation Duty Officer who will be happy to assist.
 
Or write to:
 
National Debtline
The Arch, 48-52 Floodgate Street,
Birmingham,
B5 5SL
 

 

Rent-Debt and Advice

Your rent should be paid by Friday to make sure the payment has been made and is on your account for the next week.

It is your responsibility to ensure your rent and service charges are paid on time. We will have to take action if you fall behind on your payments.

This could eventually result in the loss of your home.

If you fall behind on your rent, please contact us on 0344 736 0066

If you are struggling with paying your rent, Regenda will give you as much help and support that we can.

We will:

  • Give confidential help and advice.
  • Advise if you may be entitled to help with your rent or other welfare benefits.
  • Help to complete housing benefit claim forms.
  • Make arrangements with you to clear the arrears.
  • If you are struggling with other debts, we will refer you to specialist debt advice agencies.


1a. Who else can help?

You can get help and advice from a number of independent organisations. The advice they give is free of charge.

The organisations are:

1. Citizens Advice Bureau

Citizens Advice Bureau give free, confidential, impartial and independent advice to help you solve problems. The find your nearest CAB, including those that give advice by e mail, click on www.citizensadvice.org.uk or look under C in your phone book.

2. National Debt Line

Freephone: 0808 808 4000

You can write to them at:

National Debtline
The Arch, 48-52 Floodgate Street,
Birmingham,
B5 5SL

Self Help Packs are available on their website: www.nationaldebtline.co.uk

2A. Can I get help with my rent?
 
If you are on a low income and need financial help to pay all or part of your rent you may be able to get housing benefit.
 
To find out if you are eligible for housing benefit, the following link will let you enter details of where you live and then take you to your local authority website where you can find out if you can claim, complete a form and see how much you could be entitled to.
 
Help with paying your rent
 
Once you have made your claim, you will be given a receipt by your local Authority.
 
It is important that you keep this receipt safe. It will help you with any queries you may have in the future.
 
It is important that you make your claim straight away as housing benefit is normally paid from the Monday after your claim has been registered. If your claim is not made straight away you may lose your benefit entitlement and have to pay the rent yourself.
 
Make sure you send or take all the supporting documents with your housing benefit claim so your claim can be processed quickly.
 
If you have any queries regarding your housing benefit or rent arrears then contact us on: 0844 736 0066 and ask for the Income Generation Duty Officer.

3. Financial Services Authority

The FSA have worked with Experian and the BBC to devise a test to help people get information on their level of debt, tips on how to avoid debt problems and help to manage the problems that they may have.
Visit their website at: www.fsa.gov.uk

3A. What will happen if I am struggling to pay my rent and get into arrears
 
The rent you pay helps Regenda to provide all the services you receive as a client.
 
Always contact us as soon you are having problems paying your rent. This shows us that you care about your debt and are trying to sort it out. We will help wherever we can.
 
The Regenda group have a responsibility to our tenants, partner, staff and the local neighbourhood to recover rent arrears.
 
We can use the following ways to recover rent arrears:
 
Telephone, text, letter or visit you at home.
Employ specialist Income Generation Officers.
Ask the benefit agency to deduct money from your benefits and to pay to us directly.
Take legal action which may mean you could lose your home.
 
If you get into rent arrears then contact us on 0844 736 0066 and Generation Officer. If you have rent arrears this limits the range of service you can receive from us. You will not be able to transfer to another Regenda home or purchase your home through Right to Acquire Schemes or mutual exchange. Only when your rent account is cleared can you transfer or complete your home purchase.
 
If you leave your home and owe rent arrears or other debts such as court costs or rechargeable repair accounts, this will affect your ability to get a home via Regenda in the future. It may also affect your ability to obtain credit.
 
Regenda must vigorously pursue tenants who have left their home with rent arrears and other debts. Ask to speak to the Income Generation Duty Officer.

4. Payplan

Payplan has been in business for over 16 years and has helped thousands of families with their debt problems. Payplans main office is in: Grantham, Lincolnshire. Payplan offers help in these areas: Debt Managements, IVA’s, Trust Deeds and other debt related situations.

Payplan Help with debt management

5. CCCS

CCCS is a registered charity offering free, confidential advice and support to anyone who is worried about debt.

www.cccs.co.uk

Service Standards - Income Generation Team

Our Income Generation Service Standards lets you know what service you can expect from the Regenda Group and also how we will continually monitor the service we provide to you in the following areas :

  1. Customer Care
  2. Rental Payment Methods
  3. Rent Statements
  4. Rent Arrears
  5. What happens when things go wrong

To view the Income Generation Service Standards in more detail, please click here.