Support and assistance

You can contact us if you need to talk to us about your Business Improvement District (BID) levy for Paisley town centre, including billing and querying the charges.

Before you contact us, you can:

• find out more about the Paisley town centre Business Improvement District (BID), including the ballot information
• view the BID area (Paisley First).

It helps if you can give us your BID reference number (find it at the top of your most recent bill).

Use the business rates online form to contact us. Select the option to 'Make a General Enquiry - BID (Business improvement District) - Paisley First'.

Contact us about BID

We can offer a range of support for vulnerable people who may need help living independently but do not need long-term personal care.

Our housing support team can help people or families who:

• are at risk of losing their home or becoming homeless again
• struggle to keep a home or maintain a tenancy due to a disability, illness, or addiction issues
• are a victim of domestic abuse.

This support can include:

• advice on managing your money, bills, and budget
• help with filling in forms, writing letters and making benefit claims
• help to improve your skills and access employment opportunities
• help to manage a tenancy
• assistance to contact people, services, and other bodies who can help you.

We offer a temporary support plan for up to 2 years, with a review every 6 months.  

If you need more support after this time, we’ll help you find long-term services.

We have other support available if you’re homeless now or will become homeless in the next 8 weeks.

You could get housing support if you’re over 16 years old and:

• are at risk of being homeless
• are disabled
• have chronic illness
• have learning difficulties
• have mental health issues
• have issues with drugs or alcohol
• are an ex-offender
• are fleeing domestic abuse.

Who cannot get housing support

We cannot help people with personal care needs, like dressing, washing, or preparing food.

We can assist you if you need any further information on accessing personal care. We can also arrange a care assessment on your behalf.

Alternatively, you can contact our adult services request team to make a care referral by phoning 0300 300 1380.

Download and fill in our housing support referral form.

Send your completed form to us by email to housingsupportreferral@renfrewshire.gov.uk. 

By phone

Phone us on 0300 300 0344.

A housing support coordinator will talk to you and support you to make a referral.

You can refer yourself or someone else to our housing support service.

We’ll assess your referral and allocate it to a housing support officer within 3 working days of receiving it.

The housing support officer will contact you within 3 working days of receiving the referral. They will agree a date and time to meet with you.

During this meeting, the officer will discuss your circumstances, past experiences, your current situation, and what you may need help with.  

We’ll agree a support plan with you within 2 working days of making first contact with you.

For more information about housing support, you can contact our housing support coordinator by:

• phone: 0300 300 0344
• email: housingadvice.hps@renfrewshire.gov.uk

There is no charge for our housing support service.

Our local housing teams provide a wide range of services, information and support for council tenants in Renfrewshire.

Local housing teams are responsible for managing council-owned tenancies and the areas they’re located. 

What our local housing teams can help with

Our local housing teams are there for council tenants to contact if they need direct help with something, such as:

• rent enquiries
• issuing new rent payment cards
• providing paper forms for setting up direct debits and standing orders, for you to complete and return
• rent arrears and managing your rent debt to us
• investigating noise nuisance and antisocial behaviour, if caused by a council tenant
• keeping areas clean and tidy by investigating improper waste disposal
• referring you to different services, depending on your needs and circumstances
• garden assistance
• home contents insurance
• housing application enquiries, including sheltered housing
• telling us about a change in circumstances, such as tenancy changes or someone moving in or out of your home
• ending your tenancy
• getting permissions to make changes inside or outside your council house, such as interior alterations or putting up a fence
• other permissions, such as having a pet
• applying for Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP).

What our local housing teams cannot help with

Our local housing teams cannot help with:

• repairs - tenants should report any issues on repairs by phoning 0300 300 0300.
• antisocial behaviour issues in non-council managed areas – these should be reported to the police or our community support wardens by phoning 0300 300 0380 (option 1) or email wardens.es@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

We have local housing teams in:

• Johnstone
• Paisley North
• Paisley South
• Renfrew.

These areas cover council-owned tenancies in:

Johnstone

• Johnstone
• Linwood
• Houston
• Bridge of Weir
• Spateston
• Kilbarchan
• Elderslie
• Lochwinnoch

Paisley North

• Ferguslie
• Ferguslie Park
• Shortroods
• Seedhill
• Whitehaugh
• Todholm
• Calside
• Ralston
• Paisley West End

Paisley South

• Foxbar
• Glenburn
• Lochfield
• Dykebar
• Hunterhill
• Neilston Road/Alice Street area
• Barterholm

Renfrew

• Gallowhill
• Kirklandneuk
• Moorpark
• Renfrew Centre
• Inchinnan
• Arkleston
• Bishopton
• Dargavel.

If you're a council tenant, you can email your local housing team:

• Johnstone areas: johnstone.hps@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• Paisley North areas: paisley.hps@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• Paisley South areas: paisley.hps@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• Renfrew areas: renfrew.hps@renfrewshire.gov.uk

By phone

You can phone us on 0300 300 0222 and choose the option for the local housing team that covers your area.

In-person appointment

You can book an in-person appointment for our Paisley or Johnstone office.

You must book an appointment in advance by phoning us on 0300 300 0222.

Paisley office:

Renfrewshire Council 
Renfrewshire House
Cotton Street
Paisley
PA1 1LE.

Johnstone office:

Johnstone Town Hall
 25 Church Street
Johnstone
PA5 8FA.

Let us know if you need information in other formats, including:

• Braille
• large print
• tape or CD
• another language
• a signer or interpreter.

To get information in another format:

• phone: 0300 300 0222
• email your local housing team at the email address listed further up on this page.

If you’re a council tenant, you could get help with your garden, including grass cutting and hedge trimming.

The service includes cutting and edging grass every 2 weeks between April and October,  

We’ll take away the clippings afterwards.

We’ll also cut your hedges twice a year between May and July, and between August and November.

This service is available free for council tenants, where each adult in the household is:

• aged 60 years old or over
• under 60 years old, with a disability and can't look after the garden.

If you’re under 60 years old with a disability, you'll need to provide us with supporting medical evidence for this.

If you’re over 60, you do not need to provide us with any evidence or proof of age.

Contact your local Housing Officer if you think you're eligible for this service:

• paisley.hps@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• johnstone.hps@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• renfrew.hps@renfrewshire.gov.uk 

Or phone 0300 300 0222.

We’ll check your application within 10 working days and let you know by letter if you’re eligible or not for the service.

If you are, we’ll come to cut your grass and hedges within a few weeks of you getting your confirmation letter. 

The exact date will depend on the grass cutting schedule in your area. The date may also vary due to weather conditions or other factors.

If you apply outside of the garden servicing season (April to October), your first cutting will take place during April.  

There is no cost for council tenants who qualify for the assistance.

You can contact us if you need to talk to us about your business rates, including billing, responding to our request for information, and more.

There are separate forms if you’d like to apply for business rates relief.

Before you contact us, make sure you have your:

• business rates reference number (find it at the top of your most recent bill), unless you’re a new ratepayer
• valuation reference number (find it by searching for your business’s postcode on the Scottish Assessors’ Association website).

Contact us about business rates