Pay Your Rent.
It is your responsibility to make sure your rent is paid.
Even if you receive Housing Benefit, you are still responsible to make sure that your rent is paid every week. If you are entitled to Housing Benefit it is your responsibility to make sure your claim is submitted to Liverpool City Council.
You are responsible for any rent arrears that occur due to problems with your Housing Benefit claim.
Please be reminded that all rent collected is used by SBHA to provide high-quality services and maintain your home to a high standard.
If your rent card is lost or stolen please call us on 0151 734 4933 and we will arrange to send a replacement.
How to Pay Your Rent.
allpay Online
To pay via the allpay website, you will need the 19-digit rent payment card number (displayed across the middle of your card). Visit online at allpay Online. You can also make one-off payments over the phone via Callpay by calling our office on 0151 734 4933.
Post Office or Paypoint Outlet
Payments can be made wherever you see the PayPoint sign at your local shop, newsagent or petrol station. You can also use your card at any Post Office.
Direct Debit
You can set up a Direct Debit by calling 0151 734 4933 or calling into the office.
Telephone
Call 0844 557 8321 to pay via an automated telephone line using your debit or credit card. Or
Call 0151 734 4933 to pay via phone to the staff at SBHA Yanwath Street office.
Allpay App
Debit or credit card payments can be made via the allpay App available Apple and Andriod smartphones.
Mobile Phone
Register online at www.allpayments.net/textpay to pay by debit or credit card using your mobile phone.
Rent Arrears.
Our policy is to make early contact and encourage tenants to make sure their rent is being paid so that formal action is not required.
If action needs to be taken, Steve Biko Housing Association will ensure that it is taken as early as possible. Before formal action is taken, visits are made so that the association has the opportunity to assist tenants with any problems or make an agreement to clear the debt and explain the implications if the agreement is not kept.
Monitoring Required:
1-2 weeks - Letter or personal contact.
3-4 weeks - Appointment letter.
5-6 weeks - Threat of notice letter.
6-8 weeks - Notice of seeking possession served.
8-10 weeks - Letter warning of court action if no agreement is made.
10-12 weeks - Court application made with an appointment to see a Client Service Officer.
Court Action and Eviction.
Steve Biko Housing Association views court action and eviction as a last resort. This action will only be taken if all other options have been exhausted and the tenant fails to maintain regular payments.
Where to Go for Help and Advice.
AT SBHA, we understand that from time to time tenants have difficulty in meeting rent payments. If you are experiencing a difficult period, please contact your Housing Officer immediately who will work with you to resolve the situation.
You can also seek welfare benefits advice from:
Mohamoud Hassan - Bi-lingual Housing & Neighbourhood Services Officer on 0151 734 4933.
Liverpool City Council Benefits Maximisation Service - Free help to ensure you claim all that you are entitled to by phoning 0151 233 3000.
Merseyside Welfare Rights Service - 0151 709 0904.
Toxteth CAB - Drop-in Service (Mon/Wed/Fri AM).
You can also seek advice and support from:
National Debt Line - 0808 808 4000.
Citizens Advice Bureau national advice line - 0844 848 7700.
Samaritans - 08457 90 90 90.
Ask Ted - Budgeting, borrowing, benefits, bills and bank accounts
Google Product Search - Find and compare products from online stores across the web.
Ginger Bread - A leading support organisation for over 1.8 million lone parents and their children.
Consumer Credit Counselling Service - 0800 138 1111.
Remember, it’s never too late to ask for help.
Loan Sharks.
A loan shark is anybody who is lending money without a licence from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). These unlicensed money lenders are working illegally – they are “loan sharks”.
They all tend to work in similar ways:
They rarely give any paperwork to the people they’ve loaned money to – this makes it very difficult to keep track of how much is owed.
If payments are missed, they often use threats and violence to get more money.
They charge extremely high rates of interest and also add other “charges” to loans whenever they want.
They take away people’s bank cards as “security”.
What to do if you have borrowed money from a Loan Shark.
If you have borrowed money from someone who doesn’t have a licence, you haven’t broken the law – they have!
You can report them in confidence, by:
Calling 0300 555 2222
Texting ‘loan shark’ and the details you want to pass on to 60003
Send an e-mail to reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk
Other ways to borrow money.
You don’t need to turn to a loan shark for money, there are alternatives to borrowing money. You can use your local Credit Union. If you want to find out where your local Credit Union is in the Liverpool or Merseyside area, click here and just enter your postcode.
Further information on loan sharks and ways to borrow money can be found here.