Did you know that there is a wide range of easy ways to pay your rent?
Direct Debit
You can choose to pay weekly or monthly on the 1st or 17th of the month and we will inform you if there are to be any changes. Direct Debit payments are covered by a guarantee that puts you in full control. You can download a Direct Debit Form from the link the right.
Standing Orders, similar to Direct Debit, will allow you to pay by calendar month. All you have to do is download the Standing Order Mandate from thelink on the right, complete it and send it back to us and we will calculate the monthly payments for you. Unlike Direct Debit, a Standing Order is an agreement between you and your bank therefore it is your responsibility to tell your bank about any changes.
Paying over the internet
You can pay your:
- Council tax
- Housing rent
- Business rates
- Other invoices
Leeds City Council have an online payments service. You can use it to make safe and secure payments for your council tax, housing rents and other council invoices for things like school meals or residential care fees.
It's available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and it's very simple to use. If you previously used Alliance and Leicester billpay to make payments to Leeds City Council, you'll be able to pay all the same bills using this new service.
Always keep your financial details safe. Make sure no-one else can see you entering your details when you make an online payment.
With the online payments page service you can pay your council bills with any of the following types of debit cards: Visa, Electron, Solo and Maestro
Additionally the following credit cards are accepted for 'other invoices' only: Visa and Mastercard.
Click on the link below:
http://www.leeds.gov.uk/epayments
Post Office and Paypoint Payments
You can also pay your rent over the counter at any Post Office using your rent payment card. This card can also be used to pay your rent wherever you see the 'Paypoint' symbol, which is in over 100 shops and offices in Leeds.
By Telephone
If you have a debit or credit card, just call (0113) 398 4708 and we will be able to accept your payment over the phone. You will need to make sure you have your rent card handy, as you will be asked for your nine digit rent account number. (Please remember that if you use your credit card, and do not clear all the charges each month, your credit card issuer will charge interest on the outstanding amount). If the card is not in your name then please ensure that the card holder is present or we will not be able to accept the payment.
Salary/Wage Deduction
Employees of Leeds City Council or its Companies can have their rent deducted direct from their salary/wage. Please telephone (0113) 247 6192 or contact your Neighbourhood Housing Office for details.
Housing Benefit
If you think you are entitled to Housing Benefit to help pay your rent, it is your responsibility to make sure you complete the application form as soon as possible. We will be able to give you a Housing Benefit application form when you sign up for a property at any of our housing offices. Please ensure you complete the form before you pick up the keys to your new property.
You must remember to make payments to your rent account while you are waiting for your application to be processed so that your account does not get into heavy arrears. Any overpayment will be refunded to you once we receive the housing benefit. Help and advice is available from your local Neighbourhood Housing Office.
If you are a Council Tenant you can get an estimate on whether you are entitled to housing benefit by clicking on the link below and completing the form. It is a rough guide only and is not an official benefit calculation or claim. The form should take about 15 minutes to complete. For a full evaluation of benefit entitlement you must submit a form to Leeds Benefits Service as soon as possible.
www.leeds.gov.uk/Benefits
Pay your rent
There may be the odd time when you can't make ends meet. If you are having difficulty paying your rent, please talk to us as soon as possible. The sooner you do, the sooner we can help you with your payments. You may even be eligible for Housing Benefit, or alternatively you might need us to agree to let you pay a little less until you're back on your feet and can catch up, but if you don't contact us and your account gets into heavy arrears we will be forced to take action.
If you do get behind with rent, we will send you letters and visit you. Do not ignore us. We want to help you keep your home, but if you don't let us help, you could end up losing everything.
Please remember:
your rent is due a week in advance. If you pay monthly or fortnightly, please make sure you pay in the first week of the month to stop your account going into arrears. If you don't pay your rent, we have less money to pay for essentials such as repairs to a property. We take non-payment very seriously. If you do not pay your rent, you may face a County Court Judgement, the intervention of bailiffs and the loss of your home all of which would seriously harm your chances of obtaining credit, and might prevent your being housed by any ALMO in the future.
Talk to us - we can help.