Paying Your Service Charge
Rent and Service Charge Arrears
We keep your rents and service charges at a reasonable and affordable level so that people on differing incomes can pay them.
It is essential that your rent and service charge are paid. If you stop paying, we have to act quickly to protect the interests of LHA and other homeowners.
If for any reasons you cannot keep up to date with your rent or service charge payments, you must contact LHA immediately. We may be able to help you.
If you do not pay Your Rent or Service Charge Regularly
We will expect you to arrange to pay the arrears as quickly as possible. It is important that you stick to any arrangement to repay the debt.
If you do not do this, we will have to take legal action, which could result in you losing your home. There are different legal procedures for different types of tenure (shared owner, 100% leaseholder etc). The full details of the procedures that would apply to you, should this situation arise, can be obtained upon request from LHA on 0116 257 67 16. How Your Rent and Service Charge are set
The amount of rent you pay depends on the share of the property you own. If you own a 25% share of your home, your rent will be higher than if you own a 75% share. You will not have to pay rent if you have taken up the option, available for some homes, of purchasing 100% of your home. LHA sets the rent at a level that allows us to provide a good quality service but which people on a range of different incomes can afford.
Your service charge will be set at a level that allows covering expenses on services that are used at your home – e.g. the cost of buildings insurance, gardening etc.
How will I know if my Rent of Service Charge is up to date?
LHA will provide you with an up to date statement upon request.
Service Charges - Summary of Tenants Rights and Obligations.doc
Are you struggling with your Finances?
With the costs of running a household increasing, many home-owners are struggling to cope with the growing squeeze on their income.
If you are struggling to pay your bills, the first thing to do is to contact us. Leicester Housing Association’s Financial Support Officer can help you with personal budgeting, enabling you to maximize your income or they can refer you to an independent specialist debt/support agency if need be.
There are also things that you can do to help yourself to get back-on-track:
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Make a list of all your debts and put them in order of priority
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Write down all your income and expenses – and then see how much you have left to pay your debts
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Work out how much you can afford to pay each creditor (a person or organization you owe money to)
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Consider seeking advice from a debt advice agency. Please find a list below of agencies that may be useful to you.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/
http://www.abcul.org/
http://www.leicestermoneyline.co.uk/
Most importantly, talk to us. Some debts are secured against your property and non-payment may result in you losing your home. However, if your lenders know you are doing your best to stop your arrears mounting, they may let you cut down your repayments for a limited period of time.
For more information please contact our Customer Contact Centre on: 0116 257 67 16 and ask for Angela Wade, Financial Support Officer.