housing association rent arrears

ironpetal

Do housing association landlords have to provide you a breakdown of how the arrears balance owing came about?

I looked at the Shelter site and it advised asking certain questions on arrears. I requested answers to those questions surrounding my balance owing on a property I am no longer in and received a deafening silence.

Initially in order to have a managed move (3 year battle with an antisocial tenant below in which I got moved and not the tenant causing the problem) I had some arrears on my account in that property which I dragged my heels over paying due to my circumstances however I did pay regular payments for a couple of years to pay them off albeit slow. The arrears never seem to be going down.

However in order to SIGN for the new rental I am in now they demanded I pay off these arrears so I did. In full in December as well as my normal monthly rental for January. When it came to signing for the new tenancy they told me I had more arrears to pay?? Which was another 95 quid. My rent was only 75 quid a week. And that I must agree to setting up a standing order of 20 quid a month to pay off these other arrears.

Even with an online rent account to view you can never quite understand how they work them out.

I moved to the new property on Feb 8th 2014. I paid my monthly amount as usual on the old property for January (75 x 4.5) on 28th January plus setting up the arrears standing order so that they would let me sign for the new rental. My first months rent in the new flat was 595 quid up which they said was for the two weeks transition from the date of the original move 28th Jan to the actual new property occupation on 8th February so that I would be covered. Then the March monthly payment was 410 quid which they told me to pay. Now I'm paying 403 quid a month and that is now stable.

I should have given the keys in on 10th Feb to the old property but I was so ill with the sudden bum rushed move becoming seriously ill due to all the stress of living over that neighbour along with the flu I had I didnt give the keys in until the 23 Feb and nobody came to collect them. They even came and apologised for the sudden move but mentioned something about targets they faced in placing people in properties. I have to laugh because that other property lay empty until May this year.

As a result of the stress I suffered in that property living over an antisocial neighbour and the sudden and rushed move by the HA in the middle of winter when I was ill again I ended up 2 months later in hospital with a heart attack.

Now they want the money for the time I had the keys to that other property plus the surprise arrears they said I owed which the balance they give is 315 quid. Rent in the old property 75 quid...rent in the new property 93.

So I'm paying rent on my new place and arrears on the old place. I am so confused.

I wrote and asked them to send me a breakdown of how they arrived at these amounts in the first place (apart from the obvious key thing) and they have not replied. So is there a timescale in which they have to reply. I have received a letter threatening me with court and eviction if I dont pay them. So, I have temporarily reinstated the standing order for 20 quid a month (which I cancelled in March) but in the meantime asked them to tell me how they arrived at this balance and to justify all the conflicting monthly and arrears amounts I was asked to pay late last year regarding my arrears.

Any advice would be appreciated. This HA's admin is so bad this throws into doubt what I owe and have they got that right etc? I have no confidence in their figures or what they say. :huh:

Annie1960

If the HA is being unhelpful, then maybe you could try getting help from your MP to request the breakdown of your arrears.

From what you are saying, the problem is that, even if you pay off these arrears, the HA may then suddenly come up with some new arrears out of thin air.

beecher2

Ask them for a copy of their complaints procedure and go through that process before contacting your MP.

thesaint

Any advice would be appreciated. This HA's admin is so bad this throws into doubt what I owe and have they got that right etc? I have no confidence in their figures or what they say. :huh:

You can write your own rent statement to show how much rent you paid.

You will then see the difference between your figures and theirs.

It does sound to me like they have given you what you have asked for, but you don't understand it.

boo2410

Why don't you go in and sit with someone and get them to go through it with you ( I"m an Income Officer with an HA, that's what we do).

If your tenancies overlapped (you had keys for both properties for a time) then very more than likely you will have to pay 2 rents. Unless they will consider a rent free period.

What date did your new tenancy start and when did the old one end?