21/02/2022
How we’re tackling rent debt
We hope you feel comfortable as soon as you step inside your Victory home, and that you find managing your tenancy simple and straightforward. However, we know life isn’t always plain sailing, and things don’t always go to plan, so if you ever find yourself struggling to pay your rent, we’re here to support you and talk you through your options.
The sign-up process
We believe in setting tenants up for success from the get-go, which is why we’ll discuss how you’ll pay your rent moving forward during the sign-up stage. Our Lettings and Tenancy team will assess your individual circumstances and work with you to identify any support needs.
We’ll also discuss payment methods and work out the right option for you. We’ll always encourage you to set up a Direct Debit payment on a day that suits you, as this will give you peace of mind knowing that your rent is taken care of. It means you don’t have to remember to make each payment, and this minimises your chances of falling into debt.
Our Lettings and Tenancy team will visit you at home after the first four weeks, to ensure you are settled and we will contact you four times within the first 12 months of your tenancy to check you have everything you need and provide an opportunity to raise any concerns.
Benefit advice
With all the different types of benefits available it can be hard to understand what’s right for you and how to start the application process – luckily, we’re on hand to help! If you’re finding it difficult to pay your rent, we may refer you to our Tenancy Support team who will be happy to talk you through all the different options, from Universal Credit and DHP to Government grants to help with heating your home. We can also support you with the application process and help you challenge, or appeal benefit decisions.
Help with budgeting
Creating a budget that you can stick to is a great way to track your spending and understand where your money goes. Whether you’re just starting out as a tenant or you’ve fallen into rent debt, we’re here to help you get started. Our Tenancy Support team can help you complete income and expenditure forms to help you understand what you can afford and assist you with setting up bills once you move into your new home.
Community Skills
Whether you’re looking for a new job or want to improve your skills, our Community Skills team are always on hand to offer information, advice, and guidance to all Victory tenants. The team will work with you to identify your career goals and the steps you need to take to achieve them, so that you can reach your full potential. You can sign up for a 1-2-1 support session on a range of subjects including digital skills, mock interviews and confidence building!
Support from external agencies
To provide further support and guidance, we will always refer tenants to their Local Authority, the National Debtline or another external agency. Some of the local agencies we promote include:
Money Advice - free, practical and ethical debt guidance to anyone experiencing financial problems
Shelter – Support with housing and debt advice
Norfolk Community Law Service - Norfolk based charity providing free legal and debt advice
Deciding what’s right for you
If you’ve fallen behind with your rent payments, it’s important that we help get you back on track as soon as possible and work together to decide what the best way forward is. We’ll encourage you to clear any debts over a reasonable period of time, and this will be based on how much rent you have to pay back and what is affordable for you.
We hope this helped to shed some light on how we work to prevent you falling into rent debt and the options available if you find yourself struggling to keep up with your payments. For more information and guidance head over to the Your Rent page of our website and if you need someone to speak to, find out how you can contact us.
