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Rents and Service Charges 2016
plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk
Rents and Service Charges 2016
Frequently asked questions about Rent
What is my rent used for?
The ‘rent-free weeks’ will be the weeks starting 26 December Your rent is used to manage, maintain 2016 and 27 March 2017. and improve your home, strengthen Our rent year runs from 4 April 2016 your community and help fund the to 2 April 2017. There will be 52 building of new homes. weeks during this period. Rents charged by us continue to be the lowest in Plymouth – making them If you pay weekly, we ask you to pay good value for money. From April, our your rent for the whole year over 50 average rent will be £75.38. Our rents weeks so that you will have 2 rent-free weeks. If you pay your rent are among the lowest for housing by monthly Direct Debit your rent for associations in the country. the year is paid in 12 equal instalments. However you pay, the How is my rent charged? total for the year will be the same. You can also choose to pay four Your rent is charged on a weekly weekly, fortnightly or weekly. basis and is due weekly in advance. This year payments are due from 4 April 2016 to 2 April 2017.
If you choose to pay fortnightly, your payment will need to cover the current week and week following. You can also pay monthly in advance or four weekly. We check your account at the end of each week.
When are the ‘rent-free’ weeks?
If you are in arrears, have a court order or have another arrangement in place to clear arrears, you will still be expected to make payments during the ‘rent-free’ weeks.
This will require social landlords like PCH to reduce rents for most social housing tenants by 1% this year and for the next 3 years. This is to help make savings in public expenditure through reduced payments for housing benefit claims. For most tenants this will simply be a 1% reduction. If your tenancy started after 8 July 2015, we worked out your rent using the Government’s previous policy. Now we have to reset those rents from April to reflect the change in policy. The percentage reduction will vary from tenant to tenant depending on the rent charged for the property on 8 July 2015.
Why is my rent going up?
The Government made an announcement on 8 July 2015 about changes to Social Housing Rents and is now introducing changes through Why is my rent going down? the Welfare Reform and Work Bill. However the Government recently The Government made an announced an exemption for announcement on 8 July 2015 about homes that are designated for those changes to Social Housing Rents and with support needs or to meet a is now introducing changes through particular need. This means the the Welfare Reform and Work Bill. rent for homes that are designated as
plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk
Rents and Service Charges 2016
• Borrowing to meet outstanding debt `supported housing` will continue to repayments? follow the previous Government policy on rents meaning a rent increase of 0.9%. The policy takes the • Struggling to meet minimum credit card repayments? rate of inflation (CPI) at September 2015 at -0.1%, plus 1%. Last year we supported hundreds of people to resolve their debt problems The exemption is for one year while - if you are worrying about money and a review is carried out to understand paying your rent please contact us as the impact a rent reduction would soon as possible. have on the services that landlords, such as PCH, can afford to provide.
Why is my rent staying the same? The government made an announcement on 8 July 2015 about changes to Social Housing Rents and is now introducing changes through the Welfare Reform and Work Bill. However, a small number of homes were let after 8 July 2015 with an ‘affordable rent’ tenancy. The Government have said those rents should remain the same for the first year, so won’t change this year.
What if I fall behind with my rent or service charges? If you are having difficulty paying your rent and service charges please contact the Income Recovery and Financial Inclusion Team as soon as possible on Freephone 0800 028 0350 or 01752 388121. Money worries, especially debt, can have longstanding effects on your health, as well as having wider implications for you and your family. We work with a number of agencies that can help you resolve your problems in complete confidence. Most people struggle from time to time to make ends meet and life can throw up unforeseen costs that result in you being short of money. There are however some key indications that you may have a debt problem. Are you: • Having trouble paying your rent? • Having to borrow money to pay for day to day living expenses?
How can I get help with my rent and service charges?
IF YOU RECEIVE UNIVERSAL CREDIT NOW, YOU NEED TO CONTACT THE UNIVERSAL CREDIT HELPLINE IF THERE IS ANY CHANGE TO YOUR RENT OR SERVICE CHARGES. You can contact the Universal Credit Helpline on 0345 600 0723 and advise of any change in your rent or service charges. This must be done before the end of your assessment period in which the change has occurred.
If you have a low income and do not get any help to pay your rent at present, you may be entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit.
Paying by Direct Debit
If you would like to make an application for Housing Benefit you can do this online at plymouth.gov. uk/counciltaxbenefit, by contacting Plymouth City Council at their 1st Stop shop in the City Centre or speak to our Income Recovery and Financial Inclusion Team on Freephone 0800 028 0350 or 01752 388121.
Direct Debit is safe and easy which is why a large number of our residents now choose to pay this way. If you set up a Direct Debit you are protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee. You can pay weekly, fortnightly, four weekly or monthly on any date you choose.
Universal Credit is being introduced to replace a range of working age benefits and Tax Credits to simplify the system and make work pay. Universal Credit has been introduced in Plymoutwh and may apply to you. To find out if you can make a claim, and for the latest information, visit gov.uk/universalcredit or speak to our Income Recovery and Financial Inclusion Team on Freephone 0800 028 0350 or 01752 388121.
I am receiving Housing Benefit. Do I need to reapply? IF YOU RECEIVE HOUSING BENEFIT NOW, YOU DO NOT NEED TO REAPPLY. You will receive a letter from the Housing Benefit Office that will tell you your new benefit entitlement and the revised amount you should pay each week.
I am receiving Universal Credit. Do I need to reapply?
Direct Debit is the best way to pay your rent.
These payments should be made in advance in line with the terms of your tenancy agreement. For more information or to set up a Direct Debit, contact us on Freephone 0800 028 0350 or 01752 388121.
plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk
Rents and Service Charges 2016
Frequently asked questions about Service Charges
share the cost of communal services.
I am in a block and I know someone in another block who pays a different amount for the same service. Why is this? Each block, however similar, will have costs that can vary. For example, one block may have more flats than another so the costs are spread among more residents. This makes the cost per resident lower. Some blocks have more grounds to maintain or larger courtyards to clean.
What is a management and administration charge? What is a service charge? A service charge is made for services we provide to your block or home that are not covered by the rent. It covers communal services and, in some cases, individual services such as heating and hot water.
changes in inflation or different products being used to provide services. Once we know the actual cost, we either add or deduct the difference from the estimated cost of the services for the next year (starting April 2016) to give your new service charge.
There is a cost in running and managing the services provided to your block. These costs are covered by the management and administration charge.
This includes calculating the charges and adjustments, managing We operate a variable service charge We have tried to keep this information the contracts, making payments to our providers, providing information as clear as possible but if you have system. This means we will only and consulting with residents. charge you the amount it costs us for questions then please contact your Historically we have not covered all Housing Officer. the services you receive. We aim to the costs but we have been working provide services in the most to close the gap between the actual reasonable and cost effective way How does the affordability costs and what is charged. This year and to a standard acceptable to you, cap work? we are including some of the our residents. non-pay costs of the staff who This cap only applies to you if you manage the administration and were a tenant before April 2011 and Why are you sending out a delivery of the services. At the same is to ‘protect’ existing pre-transfer service charge statement? time we have looked for savings and tenants from large service charge efficiencies against the cost of the The service charge statement shows increases due to the introduction of service to help. The management you the difference between the actual variable charges. charge will be 16p per week per costs, compared to what we originally service you receive. It will not be estimated for the period October 2014 If this applies to you, we have more than 15% of the total cost of adjusted the charge so it does not rise service charges. to September 2015. annually by more than inflation (using the Consumer Price Index + 1.0% + We have to estimate how much your Will I get a refund if I am service charge will be for the following 50p) compared to what you paid per owed money for the period week in March 2016. 12 months. By law, if we make this October 2014 to September charge, we have to make an 2015? adjustment when we know how much Why should I pay for a lift or the services actually cost. We want laundry if I don’t use them? to be open and transparent with you If we overestimated your service about these costs and the adjustment. Everyone in the block has access to charge, any extra money you have paid will be taken into account by the lift or any communal laundry The estimate might be different from facilities. Whether you choose to use reducing your service charge for the the actual cost due to things like year starting from April 2016. it or not, all residents in the block
plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk
Rents and Service Charges 2016
Welfare reform
Bedroom Tax If you are below pensionable age, receive Housing Benefit or Universal Credit and you have one or more spare bedrooms, the amount you receive will be reduced. You need to pay the difference, commonly known as the Bedroom Tax, yourself. If you are having difficulty paying this, please contact us as soon as possible and we will do our best to help you and provide advice. We have staff who are able to help anyone who wants to move to a smaller home and we have already helped a number of residents move to accommodation that suits their needs. If you would like to move to a smaller home please contact us.
Universal Credit Universal Credit was introduced in Plymouth in 2016 as part of the national roll out by government. Universal Credit is the new single payment for people who are looking for work or on a low income. It replaces a range of working-age benefits including Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance, Child Tax Credits, Working Tax
Credits and Housing Benefit with a single -calendar monthly payment. As you know, if you currently receive housing benefit, this is paid directly to us as your landlord. Under Universal Credit, this will be paid to you with all your other benefits and you will then need to pay us your rent. We realise that this is a big change but we will do everything we can to make this as easy as possible for you. We have already started contacting people who we think may be affected to see if there is anything that they are concerned about or if they need any additional support. If we speak to you about Universal Credit, we will need to ask you a lot of personal questions about your income, your outgoings and any debts you have – this information will be held in complete confidence. It is important that you are honest with us so that we can give you the right advice and help if you need it. If you would like to find out more about Universal Credit and how it may affect you, contact our Income Recovery and Financial Inclusion Team on 0800 028 0350 or 01752 388121.
Benefit Cap There is a limit in the total amount of welfare benefits that people of a working age can receive per year – this is called the Benefit Cap. The Benefit Cap is currently £26,000 per household per year but later this year it is being reduced to £20,000. There are exemptions if you are in receipt of Personal Independence Payment /Disability Living Allowance/ Support Group Employment and Support Allowance, Industrial Injuries Benefit, War Disablement Pensions, War Widow/Widowers benefits or if you work enough hours to get Working Tax Credit. We realise the reduced Benefit Cap will affect a lot more of our tenants so we are trying to contact anyone we think maybe affected. If you have any queries concerning the Benefit Cap and how it may affect you, please call the Income Recovery and Financial Inclusion Team on 0800 028 0350 or 01752 388121.
Contacting us PCH City Centre Shop 16-19 Frankfort Gate, Plymouth PL1 1QD Tel: 01752 389778 Plymouth Community Homes Head Office, Plumer House, Tailyour Road, Crownhill, Plymouth PL6 5DH Tel: 0808 230 6500 or 01752 237990 Income Recovery and Financial Inclusion Team Tel: 0800 028 0350 or 01752 388121 Housing Officer Teams Tel: 0808 230 6500 or 01752 237990  
Plymouth Community Homes Plumer House Tailyour Road, Crownhill Plymouth PL6 5DH T
0800 694 3101
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info@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk
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plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk twitter.com/PlymCommHomes facebook.com/PlymouthCommunityHomes
Plymouth Community Homes is a registered provider under the Co-operative and Community Benefits Societies Act 2014. Registration no: 30637R.
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