All about rent and service charges
Contents:
1. Ways to pay your rent and other charges
1. Ways to pay your rent and other charges
You can pay your home or garage rent and any other charges in any of the following ways:
Direct Debit or Standing Order
This means the money comes out of your bank automatically every month. You can choose to pay on the 1st, 8th, 15th, or 22nd of the month. Ask your bank if this works for your account. Call the housing rent team to set it up.
At the Post Office
Use your rent card at any post office. You won’t be charged extra. The cashier will scan your card and give you a receipt. You can also use your card at Paypoint or Payzone shops. Keep your receipts safe.
By Phone
Call?01395 517444?during the day or?01404 511411?after hours and choose option 5. You can pay with a debit or credit card. There’s no extra charge if you use a debit card.
Online
Go to the rent payment website. You’ll need your rent reference number (found on letters from the rent team) and your debit or credit card.
2. When your rent is due
You can pay your rent:
- Every week
- Every two weeks
- Every month
- Every four weeks
If you pay every two weeks, your payment is due on the?first Monday?of that two-week period.
If you pay every month, your payment should be made?on or before the 8th of each month, unless you pay by?Direct Debit. If you use Direct Debit, we take the payment on the?1st, 8th, 15th, or 22nd?of the month.
If you need help with when or how to pay, please call the rent team on?01395 517444?or email?HousingRental@eastdevon.gov.uk. We’re happy to help.
3. How your rent is set
Since April 2002, the government has given rules each year to help decide how much rent people should pay for council houses. You can see more details on this on the Government website.
4. Service charges
Depending on where you live, you might have to pay extra charges for certain services.
Sheltered housing
If you live in sheltered accommodation, you will have a number of fees added to your service charge that reflect the additional services you receive. These may include Alarm Charges for your Home Safeguard Telecare Alarm Service, Support Staff, and Housing Management fees.
Blocks of flats with shared heating
If your building has one big gas boiler that heats all the flats, you might pay a charge for heating and hot water. This cost is checked once a year and is shared equally between everyone in the building. We (as the council) don't make a profit from this.
Water and sewage charges
Some homes have a weekly charge for sewage, and a few have charges for both water and sewage. In the future, South West Water might take over some of these services, and when that happens, the charge will be removed from your rent. These costs are also checked each year and shared fairly between everyone who uses the service.