It is your responsibility to pay your rent or make sure you are claiming the right benefits to cover this.
Getting into rent arrears can be distressing and can have serious consequences if you fail to address it.
If you are struggling to pay contact us immediately, we are here for you.
Corporate debt policy
The council has a corporate debt policy governing the treatment of debt which provides information and advice to customers who may be experiencing problems.
Methods of contact we use
In order to maximise the support we can provide to customers our Rent Collection team will attempt communication with customers via a variety of methods including outbound telephone calling, text messages, emails, letters and home visits.
Please be aware that we actively use rich card text messaging to contact our customers, the sender ID we use is ‘Wigan BC’ and the messages contain a link to further information and support should you find yourself in financial difficulty.
If you do receive a message and you want to check that the message is genuine, you can contact our offices on 01942 486865 between the hours of 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Private tenants
It is your responsibility to make sure that your landlord gets the rent in time - this applies whether you pay all your rent yourself or whether it is paid through Housing Benefit.
If you are getting into arrears, don’t wait until they build up - contact your landlord and let them know that you are having difficulties.
- Write a letter explaining why you are having problems (i.e. if you have lost your job or have a delay with a benefit claim)
- Ask if you can have more time to pay or if you can pay a reduced amount of rent for a certain period of time. Make sure you keep a copy of this letter
- Check that you agree with the amount of rent that your landlord says you owe - check your rent book or ask the landlord for a breakdown of figures, then compare it with your own records (i.e. your bank statements)
- If your landlord wants to evict you because of your rent arrears, there are rules about how this can be done - see eviction and harassment.