If you are experiencing difficulties paying your rent you should contact your Housing Officer straight away. Your Housing Officer can advise you on how to manage your debt e.g.
• Make an affordable weekly agreement to clear the rent arrears
• Change your payment method e.g. set up a direct debit
• Apply for Housing Benefit or Rate Relief
• Contact your local Citizen Advice Bureau for advice on benefit entitlement
• Refer you to Apex Housing's Floating Support service for budgeting advice
Under no circumstances should you ignore any rent arrears letters as this could ultimately lead to legal action.
Apex Housing has a dedicated team of Housing Officers and if the Officer for your area is not available any of the remaining Housing Officers can provide you with advice and assistance.
Advice on keeping out of debt
Steps to take
• Look at how much income you have coming in each week
• Look at how much you spend each week
• Decide how much you can really afford to spend and set a budget
• Be prepared to reduce your spending on some items
Remember:
• Keep to your budget
• Taking out extra credit will increase your weekly spending
• Credit and store cards can be the most expensive form of borrowing
• If you need to borrow use the lender with the lowest interest rate
For further advice you may wish to contact Debt Action NI, their details are shown below:
If you are experiencing difficulties paying your rent you should contact your Housing Officer straight away. Your Housing Officer can advise you on how to manage your debt e.g.
• Make an affordable weekly agreement to clear the rent arrears
• Change your payment method e.g. set up a direct debit
• Apply for Housing Benefit or Rate Relief
• Contact your local Citizen Advice Bureau for advice on benefit entitlement
• Refer you to Apex Housing's Floating Support service for budgeting advice
Under no circumstances should you ignore any rent arrears letters as this could ultimately lead to legal action.
Apex Housing has a dedicated team of Housing Officers and if the Officer for your area is not available any of the remaining Housing Officers can provide you with advice and assistance.
Advice on keeping out of debt
Steps to take
• Look at how much income you have coming in each week
• Look at how much you spend each week
• Decide how much you can really afford to spend and set a budget
• Be prepared to reduce your spending on some items
Remember:
• Keep to your budget
• Taking out extra credit will increase your weekly spending
• Credit and store cards can be the most expensive form of borrowing
• If you need to borrow use the lender with the lowest interest rate
For further advice you may wish to contact Debt Action NI, their details are shown below: