The following information is for applicants who wish to join the Housing Register to:
- Give you a clear understanding of the costs involved in running a home and household bills you pay
- Inform you of your rights and responsibilities as a new tenant
- Let you know what you can expect from your new home
- Make you aware of what could happen if you were to breach your tenancy
- Provide budgeting advice
Paying rent
Types of rent
The three most common types of rent are:
Most homes available through our Choice Based Lettings Scheme charge social rent.
Please read the property adverts carefully to make sure you know how much rent you'll have to pay. You must choose an option that is affordable to you.
Service charges
Registered Social Landlords may also apply service charges on top of your rent. This is to cover costs for the scheme manager, alarm monitoring, and any other scheme costs.
Payment in advance
Before you receive the keys to your new home, you may need to pay your landlord some rent in advance. This may be an amount equivalent to rent for one week, two weeks, four weeks or a month, depending on your landlord.
After you move in, your rent will always be due in advance no matter how you pay.
Budgeting and bills
Besides your rent, you need to set aside money each month to cover your other essential costs. This includes:
- Council tax
- Food
- Utility bills (gas, water, electricity etc)
To manage a budget well, you need to know:
- How much money you have to spend each month
- What payments you should prioritise
If you can, try to save a little bit of money each month too. That will keep your budget on track when you have to pay for extra expenses.
Check out the budgeting tool on the EntitledTo website. This can help you work out what you can afford each week / month.
Benefit claims
People on a low income are entitled to help with rent payments.
Universal Credit is a benefit for working-age people. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) pays you the money monthly in arrears. It goes into your bank account, in the same way as a salary.
You will be responsible for paying your rent directly to your landlord.
You may have to wait up to five weeks for your first payment. Think about ways that you can prepare to pay your first few weeks' rent in advance.
People claiming Universal Credit will receive one monthly payment. You are responsible for budgeting to make sure that you use this to pay your rent and all your essential bills on time.
It is possible that your rent may be higher than the amount you receive in benefit payment. If this is the case, you will be responsible for paying the remainder of your rent.
Universal Credit is just one type of benefit. Depending on your age and circumstances you may be eligible to apply for others.
What to expect from your new home
The homes you will be bidding for won't have furniture, carpet, curtains or white goods. You will need to plan how to furnish your home.
If you live in short-stay accommodation managed by a housing association, they may be able to help you obtain second-hand furniture.
You can find some bargains if you are happy to consider second-hand furniture and appliances.
The British Heart Foundation offers ‘pre-loved’ furniture and appliances at an affordable price. Gumtree, eBay and Facebook market place are also options for finding furnishings.
We have also included some information about sourcing white goods on our Housing Register page.
Avoid loans with very high-interest rates. They can quickly become unaffordable. Never accept a loan from a loan shark. If you are in financial difficulty, visit the Citizens Advice website for advice.
What happens if you don't pay your rent
What happens if you don’t pay your rent?
If you do not keep your rent payments up to date you could lose your home.
No one wants that to happen.
Talk to your landlord. Tell them if your circumstances change in a way that may affect your ability to pay rent. It’s much better if you can have this conversation before you fall into arrears.
Failing to pay rent will result in eviction.
In most cases, you would expect to pay court costs (which can be more than £300) on top of your rent arrears, as well as losing your home.
Working with your landlord will usually help to avoid court action and the extra costs that involves and keep you in your home.
Maintaining your tenancy
It is a requirement that you sign a tenancy agreement when you accept the keys to your new home.
This sets out what your landlord deems to be acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. It should also state what you can expect from your landlord in return.
Your tenancy agreement will cover topics such as:
- Anti-social behaviour
- Maintaining your home
- When your landlord will need access to your home
- Repairs
- Rent payments
This is a legally binding contract. Failure to comply with the terms of your tenancy agreement could result in eviction. Make sure you read this carefully or ask your landlord to explain it to you.
Get prepared
Start preparing for your tenancy today.
Start saving
Universal Credit is paid in arrears and you may not receive a payment for up to five weeks. Having some money on your rent account will be a buffer to help you through those first few weeks.
Set up a bank or Credit Union account
You need an account to receive Universal Credit payments. You may also then be in a better position to improve your credit rating and apply for an affordable loan.
Get online
You will need to manage your benefits online. You can also manage many household bills online and you can often save money by shopping online too.
Social rent is the lowest rent rate. The amount of rent charged is based on a rent formula defined by the Government to keep rents affordable. They base the calculation on property size, local earnings and property values in the area.