Your rent

You will be advised of the rent due for your property when you initially view it, and this will be confirmed to you again when you sign your tenancy agreement.   

Your rent is made up of a rental fee plus any applicable service charges.  The rental fee covers the general cost of maintaining and managing your home and neighbourhood.  The service charges are your contribution towards specific services provided to your home or local area, e.g. communal facilities.

Whilst a Rugby Borough Council Tenant you can expect to receive quarterly rent statements.  These will detail the following allowing you to keep track of your account.
  
•    your rent and any service charges
•    payments you have made
•    any Housing Benefit or Universal Credit payments paid on your behalf, if appropriate
•    the balance on your account  

You will also receive an annual notification of the rent due for the next financial year.  The new financial year begins every April so you can expect to receive this during March of each year.  

If you are in receipt of Housing Costs as part of Universal Credit, you must update your journal with your new years’ Rent amount when you receive this notification.  If you do not do this, your Housing Costs will continue to be paid at the old amount, and this could result in arrears accruing on your account. The notification we will issue in March will remind you of the need to do this, if you are in receipt of Universal Credit.
 

You cannot stay if you do not pay - so your rent must be treated as a priority when looking at your household income.
   
You have a responsibility to pay your rent regularly and in full. Not paying your rent means you are in breach of your Conditions of Tenancy and can ultimately mean losing your home.
  
We are here to help you, but we can only do so if you talk to us, so don’t delay. If you are struggling to pay your rent, please contact your Income Officer on 01788 533375 or via email at IncomeOfficers@rugby.gov.uk

Alternatively, we offer a Rent Duty Drop In Service every Tuesday and Thursday at the Town Hall between 10:00am and 4:00pm – No appointment is necessary, you can just come along and talk to us.  

To ensure you are getting all the financial help you are entitled to we recommend the independent, free and anonymous Benefit calculator.
  
To provide easy access to this tool we have made it available via our website. Click on the link for further information and to check you are not missing out on benefits you are entitled to - calculator

We can also make a referral to our Tenancy Support Team who offer intensive 1-2-1 support to assist residents to sustain their tenancies. This can include income maximization measures with help to apply for a range of benefits and / or grant applications, and setting up payment plans with utilities’, as an example.  

Alternatively, we may refer you to one of the following free of charge specialist agencies. 
   
•    Citizen Advice on 0808 250 5715 or Brancab   
•    Step Change or 
•    National Debt Helpline or 
•    Money Advice Trust
•    Help to Claim National Helpline 0800 144 8444 (available Monday – Friday 8am – 6pm).
 

Your rent's your most important household bill.

We know many of our customers live on low incomes or benefits, so we understand the importance of supporting your to pay your rent and manage your money.
 

What if I miss a rent payment?

Contact us immediately. If you're struggling to pay, we're here to help. 

If you cannot pay all the rent you owe, we can look at your finances with you and agree a regular amount you can pay to bring your rent payments back up to date.

We can also signpost you to places where you can get confidential help and advice about money and debt.

Don't borrow money to pay your rent and other debts - come and see us.

When we reach an agreement with you, it's vital you stick to it. If you break the agreement and your arrears increase, you risk losing your home.
 

There is a set process the Council must follow when tenants fall into arrears with their Rent. 
 
We indicate to you where you are within that process via a very visual row of Green, Amber and Red Houses.  The situation will get more serious if you ignore our letters and emails to you.
  
If you are struggling to pay your rent, please contact your Income Officer on 01788 533375 or via email at IncomeOfficers@rugby.gov.uk. 
 
Alternatively, we offer a Rent Duty Drop In every Tuesday and Thursday at the Town Hall between 10:00am and 4:00pm – No appointment is necessary, you can just come along and talk to us.  
 
We will work with you to reach an affordable repayment plan by looking at your income and your outgoings, but it is important that your payments are enough to meet your rent and include an amount towards the arrears on your account.   This is because it is in all our interests to get your rent account up to date as soon as possible.  
  
If you don’t engage with us, it is likely that you will be required to appear before a Judge at Nuneaton County Court to explain why you have not paid your rent and make a proposal for clearing your arrears and meeting your ongoing rent liability. The judge will then consider whether your offer is reasonable given your circumstances.

Ultimately, the Judge can decide to give Possession of the property back to the Council, which means you are required to vacate, losing your home.  Whilst this is a possible outcome, it only happens in a small number of cases, because it is far better for us to work together to help you reduce your arrears and maintain your tenancy.

Early intervention is key, so please do get in touch with your Income Officer sooner rather than later.  Call on 01788 533375 or via email at IncomeOfficers@rugby.gov.uk.
 

If there is a change in your personal and / or financial circumstances and you are in receipt of benefits i.e. housing benefit or council tax benefit you must notify us immediately.  

This will allow your entitlement to be reassessed in line with your new circumstances and minimize any potential over-payments which you will be required to pay back.  This assumes the change means you are entitled to less; it may be that you are entitled to receive more help.  The important thing is that the amount of benefit you receive is the correct amount for your circumstances, so any change, however small, do get in touch.   
The Benefits Team can be contacted direct on 01788 533433 or via email benefits@rugby.gov.uk

We also ask if your entitlement to benefit changes and you pay your rent by direct debit, you contact us so that we can make any necessary changes to the amounts we collect from your bank account.  Call us on 01788 533375 or via email at IncomeOfficers@rugby.gov.uk.
 

Tenants up to date with rent payments enjoy the following rent free weeks during 2024-2025:

• 1 April 2024
• 26 August 2024
• 23 December 2024
• 31 December 2024
• 31 March 2025

Please note - tenants in arrears must carry on paying rent during the above weeks.

Service charges cover the cost of additional services received by tenants living in flats or sheltered/supported housing.

Services include cleaning and lighting of communal areas.

Your tenancy conditions set out the service charges which you need to pay. If you're having problems paying your service charges, contact us using the details below.

The council reviews service charges on an annual basis. You'll receive a minimum of 28 days notice of an increase to service charges.