What does your rent pay for?
Your rent pays for all the services you receive from us as a tenant. It goes towards repairs, landscape maintenance and improvements. If we do not get all the rent we are due, the level of services we are able to provide will be reduced.
How often do you have to pay rent?
You must pay your rent on time,on or before the 29th of each month.This is a legal requirement as a condition of your tenancy agreement. You can choose to make payments every week, every 2 weeks or every month, but you must always have paid your full month's rent in advance, on or before the 29th
What may happen if you don’t pay your rent?
If you do not pay your rent we can go to court to get legal permission to evict you from your home.
If you have any difficulty paying your rent, due to temporary or permanent money problems, please contact your Housing Officer immediately.
We will arrange for you to get advice on any benefit entitlements you may have and we can agree for you to pay your current arrears in instalments.
We will do everything we can to help you but we will not hesitate to take you to court if you continue not paying your rent.
It is vital that you contact us as soon as you miss a payment – don’t risk losing your home.
Joint Tenants.
If you are joint tenants you are each responsible for all the rent and for any rent arrears. We can recover all rent arrears owed for your home from any individual joint tenant. So if one tenant leaves, the remaining tenant or tenants are responsible for any rent that may still be owed.
Ways to pay your rent.
We have introduced a free of charge swipe card system for rent payments. (Allpay.net)
You will receive your individual rent card at the start of your tenancy. If you lose or misplace it let your Housing Officer know straight away and a replacement card can be arranged. You should receive it in a day or so.
You can pay:
● By using your Allpay card at any Post Office, Pay Point or Pay Zone
Local Allpay card outlets:
Bellsmyre Post Office - 7 Merkins Avenue, Bellsmyre
Costcutter - 1 Merkins Avenue, Bellsmyre
Bargain Store – 22 Greenhead Road, Dumbarton
Clyde Stores – 74-76 Hawthornhill Road, Dumbarton
The Co-Op - 106 High Street, Dumbarton
West Dunbartonshire Council - Garshake Road, Dumbarton
Please either check the Allpay.net website or ask us if you need the details of outlets in other areas e.g. closer to where you work.
● Through your bank by Standing Order
We can give you the form you need to complete and give to your bank. They will do the rest to pay your rent to us.
Account Name - Bellsmyre Housing Association
Sort Code - 82-62-11
Account Number - 50000440
Then your Account Number and Sort Code
- Through your bank by Direct Debit
We can give you the direct debit instruction for your bank (or building society).
Using your Allpay card and a valid debit card you can phone Allpay.net’s call centre and make a rent payment. (Tel. No. 0870 243 6040)
Using your Allpay card and a valid debit card you can make a payment securely on-line by visiting www.allpayments.net. You may need to register if you haven’t used this system before.
By arrangement with your Housing Officer, payment can be made by cheque payable to ‘Bellsmyre Housing Association’. Please include your name, address and rent reference number or we will not be able to credit your rent account. Do not send cash at any time!
If you are not sure what is the best payment option for you please ask your Housing Officer for advice.
Housing Benefit
Depending on your income you may be able to claim help with your rent from West Dunbartonshire Council.
If you are awarded Housing Benefit it will normally be paid to us. However, please remember that if your Housing Benefit does not cover your full rent you will have to pay the difference.
To apply for Housing Benefit you must fill in a form which you can get from us or West Dunbartonshire Council .
(To get your claim processed quickly you must include the following;
Proof of your income
Proof of your identity
Your bank account details
Details about your savings
Proof of the income of any other adults living in your home. This includes grown-up children who are working.
Any other information they request
You are responsible for your claim. If you do not provide these details in the requested time period then it may not be possible to backdate your benefit and you will be due to pay the full rent charge.
You must tell the Housing Benefit Department immediately if your circumstances change in any way. The amount of benefit you get may change if your income increases, drops or if you have someone else living with you.
Housing Benefit Calculator
To get an estimate of how much benefit you may be entitled to, you can use West Dunbartonshire Council’s on line Housing Benefit Calculator, which is accessed via its website, click here.
The above information is also contained in our 'Ways to Pay Your Rent' leaflet.