Renfrewshire Council

Rent arrears

Make sure you have no rent arrears, what you need to do before you move out, how you can pay your rent arrears, what we will do to recover rent arrears, how owing rent can affect your next council tenancy.

Make sure you have no rent arrears when you move out

When you sign your tenancy termination document, we will tell you how much rent you owe, including the rent due up to the date your tenancy ends.

We will check your rent account when you hand in your keys and tell you the final rent balance due to clear the account.

You must have a clear rent account when you end your tenancy.

What you need to do

Give us four weeks' notice that you are giving up your home

If you don't give us four weeks' notice (unless we have agreed otherwise) or you abandon your property, we will charge you rent for the full four-week notice period. You will also have lost the opportunity to discuss any repairs that still need to be done, and you are likely to be charged for these if the work needed was caused by you damaging the property.

Don't delay handing in your keys

If you do not hand in your keys by the termination date, you will have to pay extra rent. It is very important that you check when and where to return your keys to avoid this.

Make sure your Housing Benefit is correct

If you are moving from one Renfrewshire Council property to another, you must hand in the keys on the date agreed, as Housing Benefit can only be paid for the home you stay in and will not be paid for two homes unless there are special circumstances.

How you can pay your rent arrears

You can pay by:

You can also pay at your bank by setting up a direct debit or standing order, or by phoning our customer contact centre on 0300 300 0222.  

You can also pay by phoning us on 0300 300 0300 (select the option for payments) - this service is available 24 hours a day. 

Payments can also be made at your local post office, or at rent Pay Point facilities located throughout local stores in Renfrewshire with your swipe card.

Help with paying your rent

What we will do to recover arrears

We will pass your debt to our debtors section for recovery.

If you don't agree to an arrangement to repay your debt, we will take legal action against you to recover the debt. This will lead to you being responsible for our costs.

When we take legal action and get a court order against you, we may make deductions from your wages or freeze your bank account.

We will also mention your debt in any reference we provide in relation to your tenancy, and your arrears may also have a negative effect on your credit rating

Court summons and court orders

If a Notice of Proceedings for Recovery of Possession (NPRP) has been served on you for non-payment of rent arrears and you don't make arrangements to pay off the debt, you will receive a Court summons.

We will give you advice on how you can stop a recovery action and keep your home.

What court summons and court orders are

How owing rent can affect your next council tenancy

Tenancy debts you have after leaving your home may stop you from being given a Renfrewshire Council property in the future.

You should contact your former landlord and make repayment arrangements.

Please contact us on 0300 300 0222 if you want to discuss your situation and get advice.