Help with paying your council rent

What to do if you're having problems paying your council rent, other help and funding available, and how to set up a direct debit or standing order.

If you're having problems paying your council rent

If you're struggling to pay your rent, please phone us on 0300 300 0222.

We can provide you with advice and support about benefits and other help which may be available.

We can also discuss a manageable payment plan with you. We need to speak to each other so that we can help you. Debt will not go away on its own, and we can talk with you about how to start repaying even a small amount.

We can give you advice about:

repayment arrangements
housing benefit or universal credit
money and bills
debt management.

Find more information about paying off rent debt (Citizens Advice Bureau website).

Other ways to get help

We may refer you to other agencies who can provide specialist benefits and money advice and support.

Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP)

Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) is a fund that can offer short-term financial assistance to tenants who get Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, who are having difficulty paying their rent. Find out more about Discretionary Housing Payment.

Tenant Support Fund

You may also be able to get help through our Tenant Support Fund. You can phone us on 0300 300 0222 to discuss this.

Crisis Grant

You may be able to get money from our Crisis Grant. This fund is for unexpected expenses due to an emergency or disaster and is for people on certain benefits.

Cost of living help

Find out about other help and benefits that may be available to help with the cost of living.

Budgeting and managing your money

Get started by trying to make a list of all the money you've got coming in and all the money going out of your household. You can use this budget sheet from Citizens Advice.

We also have a debt advice leaflet [246KB] that provides useful information on:

how to deal with your debt
the 6 stages of managing debt
a budget sheet.

If you need help in to fill in a budget sheet, you can phone us on 0300 300 0222.

Direct debits and standing orders

If you find yourself missing rent payments, it may be helpful to set up a regular payment of your rent and service charges. You can set up regular payments in 2 different ways: by direct debit or by standing order.

Learn more about the difference between a standing order and a direct debit (Royal Bank of Scotland website).

Pay by direct debit

You can set up a direct debit so that you do not have to remember to make payments to us.

Once your direct debit is set up, you do not need to tell your bank or building society if your rent changes. We'll do this for you.

You'll need to complete and return these forms to us:

Here's how the direct debit works:

You can choose for your monthly the payments to be made on the 7th, 14th, 21st or 28th of the month.
We'll always tell you in advance of any changes of amount or date, so that you have time to ask us about this if necessary.
You can cancel a direct debit at any time.
You're guaranteed to get an immediate refund from your bank if any amount is wrongly collected.

Pay by standing order

You can set up a standing order to make regular payments to us. You'll need to contact your bank or building society to set up standing orders.

If your rent changes, you'll need to contact your bank to change the amount of the standing order. If you do not change the amount, you could find yourself getting in arrears, as any increase in rent would not be paid in full.

You'll need to contact your bank or complete and return these forms to your bank:

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Renfrewshire Council