Problems with paying your rent
You must pay your rent on time. If you have any difficulty in
paying your rent or you think that you may have a problem paying it
in the future, please contact the Rent
Section at the Council on 01304 872296. It is important that
you contact us before a debt grows. Your circumstances will be
discussed and arrangements made for you to pay your rent plus an
amount to clear arrears, according to your debt and ability to pay.
You may wish to seek independent debt advice, which is available
locally from the Citizens Advice Bureau or
the National Debtline on 0808
8084000.
For further information on independent debt advice please
visit:
Failure to pay off the arrears will result in the Council
serving a 'Notice of Possession Proceedings'. This is the first
legal step we take before taking Court action through the
County Court to
recover possession of your property.
If the matter becomes very serious we will ask the County Court to give the
Council possession of your property. A District Judge will
decide after hearing evidence whether it is reasonable to give
possession. If you have very good reasons for not paying your
rent when it is due the District Judge may give the Council a
postponed possession order. This means you are allowed to
stay on the condition you pay your rent and an amount towards the
arrears each week.
Where possession is given to the court a Court Bailiff will be
asked to visit to carry out the eviction.
Even after eviction we will continue to pursue former tenants
for the debts they owe through the County Court seeking a
County Court Judgement. This will include all of the costs
spent on legal action taken to obtain possession of the property
and recover the debt.
Normally if you are evicted for rent arrears the Council will
not be under a duty to re-house you. Eviction can only be
avoided by payment of all arrears and the Court costs or by an
application to the County Court to
suspend the date of eviction.
It is Council policy to object to such applications and even if
successful you will remain a 'non-secure tenant'. You will
have no right of repair, exchange, right to buy or succession to
another family member.
Remember that prevention is better than cure so contact us early
on to avoid the distress and expense of legal action.
Contact
Tel: 01304 872296
Email: rentssection@dover.gov.uk
