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      Person putting coins into a piggy bank

      The Finance Team are responsible for:

      • Collecting and monitoring council housing rent payments for current contract holders (tenants), and
      • recovering outstanding rent payments by existing and former contract holders (tenants).

      Please contact us immediately if you are having difficulties paying your rent. We can offer advice and support.

      Council rent

      Your occupation contract (tenancy) is a weekly contract. Your rent is due on the Monday of each week or part week that you occupy your home.

      Your weekly rent will be shown on your housing occupation contract (tenancy) when you first move in. If you have lost your contract (tenancy), you can:

      If you are not a new contract holder (tenant) your rent charge may have increased since you moved in, so it’s always best to check with us if you are not sure how much you should pay.

      How to pay rent

      There are several ways in which you can pay your rent.

      Pay Online

      You can use our secure online payment system to pay your rent.

      You will need your account number which is 8 digits number followed by a letter.

      Payments can be made with:

      Visa | Visa Electron | Maestro | Mastercard

      Visa | Electron | Maestro | Mastercard

      Swipe Card

      We will send you a swipe card when your tenancy starts. It can take up to 10 working days to arrive. You can use your swipe card to pay rent at any Post Office.

      If you chose this payment method you will need to pay by Wednesday morning for the payment to reach your rent account in time.​

      You can also use your swipe card to pay at PayPoints in shops and garages. Find your local PayPoint store.

      PayPoint payments can take up to two weeks to reach your rent account.​

      Telephone

      You can make your rent payments by Automated Payment System. Please call 029 2044 5900​​.

      You will need your account number. Payment can be made with debit or credit card.

      If you need to discuss your rent before paying, please call 029 2053 7350.

      Standing Order

      You can get a Standing Order form by calling 029 2053 7350.

      By post

      You can send cheques to:

      Cardiff Council Finance Team
      Room 342
      County Hall
      Cardiff
      CF10 4UW

      Please make sure the rent account number is written on the back of the cheque. We do not accept cash.

      What happen if rent isn’t paid

      If you do not pay your rent, there are several steps that we may take. If you are struggling to pay your rent, please contact us.

      • We will send you a letter to explain the situation and what will happen next.
      • If we do not hear from you or receive any payment, a finance officer will visit your home.
      • At this visit the officer will discuss your arrears and offer advice about claiming Housing Benefit and or Universal Credit. Alternatively, they will arrange a visit from our Welfare Liaison Team or you can visit your local Hub.
      • If you cannot clear your debt in one payment, the officer may be able to arrange for you to repay your arrears in reasonable weekly amounts.
      • If you do not arrange to repay the debt and it continues to increase, we may send you a legal notice before making a possession claim for your home. You will have the opportunity to appeal against this notice. You will be asked to attend a rent review panel to state your case. If the arrears continue to increase and the appeal is not successful, we will apply to the County Court for possession of your home.
      • You will be charged Court costs, and these will be added to your rent account.
      • The judge will consider your case and may decide to award one of the following orders.

      Possession Order

      This Order gives us vacant possession of your home once the order comes into force. You will normally be given 28 days to leave the property. If you are an introductory contract-holder (tenant) (this usually means you are in the first 12 months of your occupation contract (tenancy)), this is the only order the judge can grant.

      Suspended Possession Order

      This Order gives you the opportunity to make regular payments of the collectable rent due, plus an amount off the arrears. The payment amounts will be detailed in the Order. If the terms of the Order are maintained, we will not evict you for rent arrears.

      Adjourned Generally

      This Order gives you the opportunity to maintain regular payments of the collectable rent due, plus an amount off the arrears set out by the judge. The case will be held in suspension. If the agreement is broken, the case will be referred to the court to ask for a Suspended Possession Order or a Possession Order.

      The payment amounts will be detailed in the Order. If the terms of the Order are maintained, we will not evict you.

      Former arrears

      If you moved out of a property without paying the rent that was due, this is known as former arrears. If you have unpaid rent, you must pay this back even if you no longer live at the property.

      If you have former rent arrears, it can affect future housing applications. We strongly advise you to speak to a Debt Control Officer as soon as you can to find out what you can do to reduce and clear the debt.

      You can speak to a Debt Control Officer by calling 029 2053 7400 or you can visit any Hub or contact the Adviceline on 029 2087 1071.

      Welfare Liaison Team

      The Welfare Liaison Team help council contract holders (tenants) with income maximisation and budgeting. We provide a holistic money advice service and acts impartially to work out affordable repayment plans for rent and other household bills. We look at the whole situation and without any judgement.

      Find out more about what help we can offer.

      Contact us

      Tel: 029 2053 7350

      Send us a message