How do I pay rent?

All our tenancies start on a Monday. Your rent is payable weekly and in advance. Therefore your first week's rent will be due on the day your tenancy starts, and you will need to pay a week's rent in advance every Monday.

You can also pay your rent calendar monthly. You must remember to multiply the week's rent by 52 (weeks in the year) and divide by 12 (months in the year). The housing manager can help you to calculate this. Rent paid monthly must still be paid in advance, to prevent you going into arrears at any time in the month.

Occasionally (about every four years) the rent year has 53 weeks instead of 52 weeks, to keep in line with the calendar year. When this happens, you need to calculate your monthly payment by multiplying by 53, not 52. We will warn you in advance when this occurs.

For security reasons, please never send cash through the post, and our staff cannot accept rent payments while they are out on visits.

You can pay your rent in one of the following ways:

1. ALLPAY
We have an arrangement with ALLPAY, a company which specialises in collecting rents and other regular payments. There is no charge to the tenant and your payments can be as large or as small as you choose, as long as the rent is paid in full each week.

Every tenant is issued with a plastic swipe card. You can use this swipe card anywhere in the country that displays the payzone or e-pay symbol or at any post office. You can pay by cash or cheque.

If you wish to use a credit or debit card, you can pay by phone on 0870 243 6040 or via the internet at www.billsonline.com.

Further information can be obtained from the CHISEL office.

If you lose or damage your card please let the Housing Manager know.

2. Direct Debit
You can also pay your rent by direct debit - please ask us for a direct debit form, which you will need to complete and return to CHISEL. We will then automatically alter the amount we collect from your account when your rent changes in April. We will give you 14 days notice of the new amount we will be collecting.

If you have any problems or queries about your rent, please contact the Rent Officer or the Housing Manager for advice immediately.

Council Tax
If you live in self-contained accommodation, your rent does not include Council Tax, as this is your responsibility. You need to arrange payment of this with your local authority's Council Tax Department. If you are on a low income you may be eligible to receive Council Tax Benefit help towards paying your Council Tax. The housing manager will be able to give you more information.

If you live in shared accommodation, Council Tax will be added to your rent as a service charge, and we will pay it directly to the local authority.

If you have any queries about Council Tax, please contact the housing manager.

Housing Benefit
If you are on a low income you may be eligible for Housing Benefit, which will help pay part or all of your rent. The housing manager will be able to tell you if you are entitled to Housing Benefit and any other benefits. They will also be able to help you claim.

Direct payments
Housing Benefit for rent is normally paid to you by post office giro or cheque. However, you can ask the local authority to pay your Housing Benefit directly to CHISEL. We encourage all tenants to do this as it makes payment much simpler, for you and us.

Your responsibility
Any arrears that occur due to delays in Housing Benefit are your responsibility. You must chase the Housing Benefit Department about your claim if it is not being paid. Even when Housing Benefit is paid directly to us it is still your responsibility to check that all payments are being made. You should receive written confirmation from the Housing Benefit Department and you can check payments on your quarterly rent statements.

Contact the housing manager or your Housing Benefit Department if you are unsure about what to do.

Misdirected payments
If you have arranged for your Housing Benefit to be paid directly to us and it is accidentally paid directly to you, you must make sure that you pay it into your rent account.

Reviewing your claim
Housing Benefit will review your claim periodically. It is important that you complete the renewal form and send it back immediately, otherwise your claim may not run continuously and you will be responsible for the whole rent. Similarly you should not ignore any other correspondence from the Housing Benefit department, as your claim could be adversely affected. If you are in doubt, please talk to the Rent Officer or Housing Manager who will be able to help you.

If you have any problems or queries about your rent, please contact our Rents Officer for advice immediately:

Flos Marriott
Chisel
188a Brockley Road
London SE4 2RN

Tel: (020) 8692 5258
Email: rents@chisel.org.uk