Arrears left by former tenants
Rent and housing charges debts left by tenants who move out are dealt with by the Income Recovery team.
If you leave a property with arrears we will:
- send you a closing statement of your account within 15 working days as long as we have your full contact details
- be polite and try to answer your questions as effectively and efficiently as possible
- see you promptly if you visit our office, keep to appointments that you make with us, and visit you at home if you ask
- deal with your enquiry confidentially and professionally
- be available to answer questions between 9am and 5:30pm Monday to Friday, although it may not always be possible to speak to a particular individual
- reply to your letters within 10 working days of receiving them
- offer and explain about a range of payment options, including payment at payment points, over the telephone, and via the internet
- agree a payment by instalments plan if you cannot clear your arrears in one go
Recovery methods
If outstanding rent and housing charges remain unpaid we will use the following recovery methods:
- if we do not have a current address we will use tracing agents and other methods to find one
- debt collection agencies
- if a tenant has died, we check probate records to see if there is an estate from which the debt can be paid
- legal actions including money judgement orders, charging orders and attachment of earnings orders.