How to pay | Office
opening times | Contact us |
Ways to pay | Rent
statements
Rent arrears | FAQs |
Comments |
Confidentiality |
Residents' parking
Housing Benefit and
Council Tax Benefit.
Welcome to the Department of Community and Children's Services -
Rents section. We are here to serve and provide you with the
necessary information you need to pay your rent. We work hard to
ensure our policies are efficient and fair and we consistently
strive offer you the best service possible.
The City of London provides local authority services for the
Square Mile. The Department of Community and Children's Services is
responsible for the City of London’s social housing stock. The City
of London not only has estates in the Square Mile, but also has
housing which extends beyond the City boundary in boroughs north
and south of the river.
How can I pay my rent?
Your rent is due fortnightly, unless you choose to pay your rent
monthly by bank standing order.
You can use any of the following payment methods:
In an emergency only
Each Area Housing Manager has a Rent Payment Swipe Card, which
you can borrow to make your payment and then return along with your
receipt.
Office opening times
Our office at the Barbican Estate Office, 3 Lauderdale
Place, Barbican, London EC2Y 8EN is open 9.00am to 5.00pm
Monday to Friday. Someone will always be available to answer your
questions or take messages but we will be able to help you more
quickly if you made an appointment before visiting the office.
If you would like to make an appointment to see a member of
staff regarding your rent, please write to us or telephone us to
make an appointment.
If you would like to make an appointment to see a member
of staff regarding your rent, please write to us or telephone us to
make an appointment.
Contacting the Rents
section
If you have a rent query, we can be contacted using one of the
following methods:
- Telephone (quoting your tenancy reference number if you have
one). Dial 020 7332 1750
- Email
dcs-rents@cityoflondon.gov.uk
- Fax: 020 7332 1642
- Post: Rents Section, Department of Community and Children's
Services, City of London, PO Box 270, Guildhall, London EC2P
2EJ
Ways to pay
Internet banking
Lloyds Bank
Sort Code 30-00-02
Account No. 01738440
Please quote your Tenancy Reference Number beginning with 500.
Bank standing order
This is the most convenient way for you to pay. Choosing this
method will allow you to make regular monthly rent payments. We
will notify you of any changes required for your rent, and provide
you with the necessary reference and account numbers to ensure your
rent account is credited correctly.
Online payment service
You can pay online using your credit or debit card. A quick and
easy way to pay by just following the instructions. Your payment
will be credited to your account with the City of London
Corporation overnight, updating your balance the next working
day.
Report a problem with online
rent payments
If you are experiencing difficulties accessing your account or
are having any other technical problems please contact the
E-business support team at:
payments.enquiries@cityoflondon.gov.uk,
telling us the date and time you tried to make the payment, the
tenancy reference number, any error message displayed and your
telephone number.
However, if you wish to check the amount of rent to pay, please
email:
contact.centre@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Please note that we can only respond during office hours Mon-Fri
9.00am - 5.00pm.
The payzone outlets are based in
supermarkets, garages and newsagents. You can use your
existing swipe payment card to pay your rent anywhere in the
country, just keep an eye out for the Payzone logo.
Post office
Using your swipe card you can go into any post office in the
country and pay your rent by either cash or cheque (cheques to be
made payable to “The Post Office”). Your account will then be
credited with your payment on the next working day.
Cheque
Payable to the City of London Corporation by post to the Rents
Section, PO Box 270, Guildhall, London, EC2P 2EJ.
Rent statements
Please contact the Rents section if you
require a copy of your rent statement. You will receive rent
statements automatically every quarter. Your statement will show
all transactions made to your account. You, your bank or we can
make mistakes. Should you have any questions about your account,
please contact us straight away.
Rent arrears
You are expected to pay your rent. If you have a joint tenancy
with another person, both of you are liable for paying the rent.
Your rent account is monitored regularly to ensure your rent is
being paid.
Should you have difficulty paying your rent, you need to let us
know as soon as possible. Making us aware of your situation would
enable us to discuss the problem and advise you on what action you
would need to take. We can also provide the necessary information
for making a housing benefit claim. It is very important that you
make a claim as soon as you can.
Remember you can always speak to your Area Housing Manager (AHM)
who could agree an agreement to pay your rent.
For information on your AHM click here . Do not ignore your
rent arrears, as the amount will escalate and you may put yourself
in the danger of losing your home.
Should you find yourself in the position of losing your home,
you should contact the Citizens Advice Bureau for independent
advice. For details, visit the CAB website:
http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
Former tenant arrears
If you have rent arrears and leave your home due to eviction,
transfer or finding other accommodation, we will still expect the
debt to be repaid. It is important that you contact us immediately
to arrange to pay off the debt. If you do nothing, the rents team
will contact you or trace you to your new address and you will be
asked to make an agreement to repay the arrears. If this agreement
is not kept we will instruct the Debt Collection Agency or the
Comptroller and City Solicitor to commence action to recover the
debt.
If you do not repay these arrears, you will not normally be
re-housed by us, and it may affect your ability to get a mortgage
or loan in the future as Building Societies and other lenders may
ask for references based on your rent payment record.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How is my rent set?
A: We usually change the rent and other charges
you pay for living in your home every April. If your home is part
of a common heating system these costs are changed in October. The
Service Charge element of your total rent will also change in
October (these changes are based on the actual cost of providing
services, ie cleaning, portering, caretaking, gardening and warden
costs, so changes can either increase or decrease).
Government rules say that as from the April 2002 all social
landlords must use the same system for working out their housing
rents. This is to make sure that rents charged by social
landlords
- remain affordable in the future
- should generally be well below those charged by private
landlords
- be linked to the size, location and condition of the home
- are similar to rents for other councils and housing
association's properties of a similar size, location and
condition.
To do this, the Government produced a formula for setting rents
which will mean that rents are based on the value of the property,
the number of bedrooms and average local earnings. They realised
that changing the way rents are calculated, called "rent
restructuring", could lead to extra rent increases in some areas
over and above inflation. They have therefore given councils until
2012 to make sure all rents charged are "formula rents" so any
increases are gradual over a number of years.
To further protect tenants from unusually high rent increases
there is a limit on how much your rent can change each year. This
limit is the increase for inflation each year plus a maximum of
£2.
Q: What is included in my total rent
charge?
A: The total includes the following; charges for
services provided to you on the estate and water rates which are
set by Thames Water.
Q: If I am going on holiday how do I pay my
rent?
A: You can pay your rent in advance so that your
rent account does not go into arrears.
Q: I’ve lost my swipe card, what should I
do?
A: Please contact a member of the
Rents section. They will order a new card for
you, which you should receive in the next few days.
Q: What is my rent balance? –
A: To find out the current balance on your rent
account or check any queries relating to your rent, eg delayed bank
standing order payments or missing cheque, contact the
Rents section.
Q: What happens if I don’t pay my rent on
time?
A: You will be sent an arrears letter, which is
noted on your records. If you continue to make no payments then the
City of London will start legal action and you may have to attend
court. If you still make no payments then you will be evicted. This
means you will have made yourself homeless.
Q: What should do if I have rent arrears?
A: As soon as you are unable to pay your rent you
must contact your Area Housing Manager. If they are not available
you should contact the Rents section, who will
be able to assist you.
Q: How can I pay my court costs having been to
court for rent arrears?
A: You can have a dedicated swipe card for these
payments or you can pay by any of the same methods you use to pay
your property rent.
Q: Can I order a rent statement?
A: You should contact the Rents
section who can order a statement for you and discuss any
queries you may have.
Q: How do I set up a bank standing order?
A: The Rents section can
send a form to you and advise you on how much you would need to pay
to ensure that your account does not fall into arrears.
Q: How do heating and hot water charges affect
my rent?
A: On some estates, heating and hot water are
supplied to each flat from a central boiler. If your home is heated
in this way, we will charge you the cost of this with your rent
(you will not be able to claim housing benefit on this charge). For
more information contact the Rents section who
will be able to explain things further.
Comments
We hope that you have found this useful. If you have any
suggestions or comments please send them to Rents section,
Department of Community and Children's Services, City of London ,
PO Box 270, Guildhall, London EC2P 2EJ or
email us.
Confidentiality
Any personal information given through this service will be
treated as confidential, whether it is held on file or on computer.
We will not give any information about you to any third party
without your written consent.