It’s important, for those who find themselves in a position to pay their rent, to keep doing so. We need this money to provide vital housing services - all normal methods of payment will stay in place at present and Direct Debits will be taken as normal.
We will help you if you are suffering financial hardship:
- If you’re unable to meet your rent payments, or need advice about a new or existing Universal Credit claim, you can contact the council using the Universal Credit - Enquiry Form or phone 03451 55 11 55 and you will be redirected to a Housing Management Officer
- Our Revenues Officers, who deal with rent enquiries, are still contacting households we identify as having missed a payment to offer support and advice
Reminder for anyone who receives Universal Credit and rents their home
Your rent will have gone up from 1st April. To make sure you’re getting the money you’re entitled to, it’s important for you to let the Department for Work and Pensions - DWP know about this increase. You can do this by logging into your Universal Credit account online. Alternatively, if you can’t access your account online, please call Job Centre Plus.
Your rent is due every two weeks and must be paid in advance. The rent you pay helps us to deliver vital services.
Paying your rent is straightforward and there are many payment options available to you:
- By cash at any paypoint facility
- Over the telephone
- 03451 55 00 55 (24 hr auto number)
- 03451 55 11 55 (8am to 6pm to speak to a Customer Service Advisor)
- By direct debit
- By standing order
Both the Direct Debit and Standing Order forms are at the bottom of the page. This should be filled out, signed, and sent to the postal address on the form.
or
Need to discuss your rent account?
If you need to speak to someone about your rent, including ordering a new card, please contact us on 03451 55 11 55. We are open Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm. We do not have an out-of-hours facility for discussing your rent balance.
Rent Support Fund
To help our tenants who are struggling to manage financially, due to the rising cost of living, the council have allocated £1 million to support tenants who pay money towards their rent and are not in receipt of full housing benefit or universal credit housing costs.
If you are a Fife Council tenant, and your rent is not fully covered by any benefit payment, you may be entitled to a one-off payment of £175 (which will be paid into your rent account). You will find more information on entitlement, and how to apply, over on the Rent Support Fund page.
Rent arrears
We know that rent payments can be missed. Sometimes, this is through no fault of your own. If you have fallen behind with your rent, please get in touch with us. We can offer free, confidential advice and help you to arrange to pay back your debt in instalments. It’s far better to sort these arrears early, before they become a bigger problem.
It may be that you can claim housing benefit or Universal Credit to help with these payments. Claiming benefits can be difficult and we’re here to help.
We can also provide information and advice to customers with multiple debts owed to us.
If you continue to ignore your arrears, you will receive a formal ‘Notice of Proceedings’. This is hand-delivered by Sheriff Officers. This is the start of legal action and can result in us ending your tenancy. This notice goes to everyone in your home over the age of 15 years and 6 months. They don’t have to be joint tenants.
If you’re struggling to pay your rent, please contact us on 03451 55 11 55. We are open Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm. We will discuss the situation and explain all the options available to you. Our money advice pages may also be able to help.
Fife Council tenants who need advice about a new or existing Universal Credit claim can use the Universal Credit - Enquiry Form.
