Rent Arrears Policy - Section 7
7. Early Intervention
7.1 The Council will ensure that there is early intervention in all cases of arrears before a debt becomes unmanageable.
7.2 Officers will monitor all rent accounts in arrears on a weekly basis.
7.3 Once arrears have arisen, prompt action will be taken to ensure that the arrears do no increase. The Council will make sure that current rent is paid, and then ensure that the arrears are recovered.
7.4 The Council will maintain a comprehensive record of all action taken and all contact with tenants in arrears.
7.5 Detailed procedures for rent control and arrears action ensure that each case is regularly monitored and the necessary checks made at each stage of the control and recovery action. Tenants who regularly go into arrears will be contacted and a financial assessment will be completed to ensure that regular payments are sustained.
7.6 The Council will provide tenants in arrears with clearly written arrears letters which detail the current balance on an account, what action they need to take with appropriate phone numbers to get assistance.
7.7 The Council will provide tenants in arrears with a financial assessment of their circumstances with a view to making realistic and sustainable arrangements to pay off the arrears.
7.8 The Council will: -
- Give priority to establishing personal contact with tenants and members of their family over 16 years of age throughout the debt recovery process;
- Enable an appropriate assessment of their needs and circumstances to inform the delivery of support if required;
- Ensure that relevant departments and agencies are alerted where appropriate to deliver support and respond to identified concerns, for example, through Education and Social Care for vulnerable adults or child protection.
- Enable money management advice and assistance
- Provide effective controls on the recovery of debts, with legal action being taken only when all other means of recovery of rent arrears have been exhausted;
- Encourage tenants to advise the Council of a change in their circumstances that may affect their ability to pay rent; and
- Check progress of agreed specific outcomes with tenants at regular intervals to make sure rent arrears are minimised.
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