Help with money and ways to pay your rent

We know getting by on a limited budget is tough and there may be times when you can’t pay all of your bills. We want to help you and would much prefer you contact us, as soon as possible, when problems start. To contact your Account Manager in our Income Management Team:

• phone 01977 724464 or 0345 8 507 507
• email [email protected]
• text 07786 202539. 

The sooner you speak to us the sooner we can help. Our Cash Wise Team can help you to maximise your income, provide budgeting support and advise on Universal Credit or other welfare benefit issues.

Contact Cash Wise:

• by phone 01977 724651
• by completing the online form or,
• visit the website, it is full of useful information to help make your money go further.

If you do fall into arrears you should pay them as quickly as possible, ideally in one payment to clear the whole amount. If you can't do this, please contact us to make an agreement to repay the money you owe.

Together we'll work with you to agree a repayment plan at a level you can afford.

If you don’t tell us you have a problem paying your rent, or if you don’t keep to an agreement to pay off the debt, you could face court action to recover the arrears.

You may be able to claim Universal Credit or Housing Benefit to help with your housing costs if you:

• are on a low income - whether you are working or on other benefits
• pay rent
• have less than £16,000 in savings, capital and / or shares.

If you're of working age and need to make a claim for benefit to help with your rent, it is likely that you will now need to claim Universal Credit.

You can find out more information about Universal Credit in your account or at www.gov.uk. You can also call 0800 328 5644 or apply online. Remember, even if you claim Universal Credit, you should still contact the local authority in your area to check if you are eligible for any support with your Council Tax.

If you're eligible to claim Universal Credit, you cannot claim Housing Benefit.

If you're of working age but not eligible to claim Universal Credit, or you are over Pension Credit age, and want to apply for Housing Benefit, Wakefield residents can go to the Wakefield Council Benefits page for more information or contact the local authority in your area.

Your Universal Credit or Housing Benefit award may not cover your full rent, and it is it is your responsibility to make sure that your rent is paid to us in full.

How to claim Housing Benefit

Register a claim for Housing Benefit with your local authority online or in person. 

Online

The quickest and easiest way to claim. The secure form only asks questions relevant to you, and provides a personalised list of evidence you will need to provide to support your claim.

You'll need to make a claim to your local authority.  You can find more information on the government's Housing Benefit pages

If you don’t have access to the internet, free internet access is available at our Hubs or your local library. 

In person

Call into your local council office and speak to an advisor. If you need help to fill in the form they can help you.  

We provide a Housing Benefit and Council Tax document verification service at our Hubs, this is for our tenants only.

Other help

If you're struggling to pay your ongoing rent and arrears we may be able to help through our Hardship Scheme. 

It’s worth checking to see if you are eligible for any state benefits, because many people aren’t claiming their full entitlement.

Our Cash Wise Team can help you with welfare benefit enquiries, filling out forms and any other money related problems.

To get one to one support visit the Cash Wise website, complete the online contact form or phone 01977 724651. 

There are various other ways to find out what other benefits might be available to you.

• Look at the Government’s benefits website.
• Contact Turn2us – a free charitable service for confidential advice – on freephone 0808 802 02000.
• Use the online Benefit Entitlement Calculator.
• For local assistance, the Civil Legal Advice Service offers free and independent advice.

You can find out more about Universal Credit by logging into your online account.

How Welfare Reform affects you

The Government introduced a wide range of changes to the benefits system in April 2013, most of these changes are likely to affect people of “working age”.

To learn more about the changes Turn2us have also provided a useful Benefit Changes Timetable on all the benefits affected by Welfare Reform.

Help filling out Welfare Benefit forms

DIAL is an advice and information service run by and for disabled people. They can help you complete your benefit forms. If you need help appealing a disability benefit decision, they may be able to help you, but they may request a contribution from you if the appeal is successful.

How Housing Benefit is paid

You'll be given a choice about how your Housing Benefit will be paid, but we'd prefer you to ask your local authority to pay your Housing Benefit directly into your rent account.

You'll be sent information on how much Housing Benefit you've been awarded by the authority you applied with, if you have any queries please contact them. If there is a shortfall in the benefit paid and the rent you pay, you must make up the difference to us. Housing Benefit will be paid to us every four weeks.

The amount of Housing Benefit you claim may be affected if your circumstances change. A change in circumstances could include changes in income, savings and people leaving or joining the household.

If you knowingly claim benefit that you are not entitled to, you'll have to repay the money and you may also be prosecuted for fraud.

Most local authorities have an online contact form you can submit to let them know if you are moving house or have another change in circumstances.