Every year, our income team help hundreds of Accent residents who are struggling to pay rent or service charges. The team can help and give advice around budgeting, benefits and opportunities to reduce spending. They can also signpost to other services who can offer more support to help you get out of debt.
One resident who was recently helped by our income team is Ms Higgins*. She’d been a resident with Accent for a while before she suddenly stopped paying her rent earlier this year.
At first, our team struggled to get hold of Ms Higgins. She didn’t respond to calls, texts or letters. As a last resort, we visited to hand deliver a Notice Seeking Possession to start the legal process which would have resulted in her losing her home. It was then that she reached out to our team.
She told us that she was off work sick but had no income. She wasn’t claiming any benefits as she didn’t think she was entitled to anything.
We arranged to meet her. She was met by Lisa who told her she could claim for Universal Credit and supported her to apply. She helped Ms Higgins apply for food vouchers and additional benefits to help her pay off her rent arrears. She also signposted her to Step Change, who provide independent and free advice to help deal with debt and set up a solution to take control of your money again.
Ms Higgins is now on her way to paying off her rent arrears and is really grateful for the support she’s had from the team and Lisa.
Mark is an Income Manager at Accent. He said: “It’s natural to want to push debt to the back of your mind. But putting it off really does only make the situation worse.
“We’re here to help without judging. If you’re worried about paying your rent or service charge, get in touch. It can be a scary step but the sooner you do, the sooner we can help you and the sooner you can take steps to get out of debt.”
Need support? Give us a call on 0345 678 0555. Our customer service team will be able to put you in touch with your local income officer.
* name changed
