Rents

Cannock Chase Council offer you various methods for you to pay your rent: -

• Direct Debit 
• Standing Order
• Post Office
• Post
• Telephone
• 24 hour automated telephone number 0845 234 0080
• Online Payment
• Payzone (you can now pay at any payzone outlets, these are situated where you see the payzone logo)
  

 

 

You will need your rent account number to pay your rent, this is shown in the bottom right hand corner of your rent card.

For details on the balance of your rent account see your quarterly rent statement or you can contact the office.

For further details, please refer to our leaflet "How to pay your rent".

Free weeks

The weekly rent is calculated by dividing the annual rent by 50 weeks.  This means that there are two weeks when no payment (unless you are in arrears) is due.  These are known as "Free Weeks".  These weeks are at Christmas.

Christmas 2013 - The free weeks are w/c Monday 23rd December 2013 and w/c Monday 30th December 2013.

What happens if your Financial Circumstances Change?

The Council's rent arrears policy is designed to be fair but firm.  Help and support is available to maximise income and minimise arrears.  For full details, please see our leaflet 'Rent Collection and Arrears Management'.

Contact the Staff at the Cannock Housing Office 01543 462621

Where can you go for help?

If you are having financial problems and you are having difficulty in paying your rent, contact your rent officer and they will be able to make a fast track appointment (usually within one week) for you at a Citizens Advice Bureau surgery which is held at the Council offices.  The Housing Department is working in partnership with the Citizens Advice Bureau to provide advice on maximising income and managing debt.  As a result of this help, the number of tenants that have been evicted in 2009/10 has dropped by over 50%.  Checks are also made to make sure that tenants are getting all the benefits they are entitled to.

Housing Benefit

The Rent Officers will offer general advice on Housing Benefits or for further information, please see Housing Benefits. 

If you make a claim for housing benefit or the amount of benefit you receive changes, you should keep your rent officer informed.

The Citizens Advise Bureau offer FREE Debt Advice and financial planning.

Other options are available on how to maximise your income. Link into finance under housing advice private tenants.

The Council allows up to fourteen days for a Housing Benefit claim to be processed once all of the information has been provided. If the benefit is not being paid after two weeks, contact your Rent Officer and/or the Housing Benefits Department on 01543 462621 to solve the problem. When handing in a completed Housing Benefit form, ensure that you provide all of the documentation required and get a receipt to show that you have handed the form in.

If you are employed and in receipt of a low income, you may be entitled to some housing benefit, contact the Housing Benefit section for further details.

If you fail to take any action to get your rent paid and the arrears accrue, the COUNCIL WILL EVICT tenants for non-payment of rent.