Rent Arrears (Former Council tenant)

Former tenant arrears is the name given to any rent or property charges, that you may owe, if you are no longer a tenant and have left one of our properties.

How can I pay my former tenant arrears?

• By cash or cheque using your ‘swipe card’ at any Post Office in the UK.
• By posting a cheque to the Council Offices in Benfleet (please ensure you write your name, former address and rent account number on the reverse of the cheque)
• Via credit or debit card

What if I cannot afford to pay the outstanding balance in full?

If you are unable to pay the balance in full you should contact the Housing Managament & Rents Team on 01268 882481 or the main switchboard on 01268 882200.

What will happen if I don’t pay my former tenancy arrears?

It is important that you contact the Housing Management & Rents Team as soon as possible to discuss the amount outstanding to discuss repayment terms. If you do not do so and you apply in the future to be rehoused your application may receive a lower priority.

In addition, if you:

• Do not respond to our attempts to make contact with you, we may pass your account onto a debt collection agency who will recover the money for us.
• Do not give us your forwarding address, we will use a tracing agency to confirm where you currently live.

We may also take legal action to recover the debt. This will mean issuing proceedings against you in the County Court, either to obtain a money judgement or to enforce an existing money judgement. The Council can ask the Court to enforce the Judgement in a number of ways, including:

• Instructions to bailiffs to seize any of your goods to the value of the debt
• Applying for an Attachment of Earnings Order if you are working, whereby money is deducted from your earnings and sent to the Council
• Obtaining a Charging Order which could force the sale of any property which you own in order to clear the debt.

Contact us

For further information please contact the Housing Management & Rents Team by:

Completing a simple on line request Form - Housing Rents Balance/Statement
Email: tenancyofficers@castlepoint.gov.uk
Fax: 01268 882409
By Letter: Castle Point Borough Council, Rent Arrears Team, Kiln Road, Benfleet, Essex, SS7 1AY

Make a Payment

You can make a payment by ringing 0300 456 0629 to use our automated service, which is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Mobile charges may apply. Please remember we do not issue receipts for credit/debit card payments.