What happens if you don't pay your rent?

The following gives a guide to the action Thanet District Council will take to recover any rent arrears. It applies to Secure Tenancies, only.

If you hold any other type of tenancy you are advised to contact Revenues for advice as soon as you think you are not going to be able to pay your rent.

If you do not pay your rent you could lose your home. Thanet District Council will tell you if you miss any payments.

Reminder letter

If you miss a rent payment or are paying less than you should, we will send you a reminder letter asking you to make up the payments. If for any reason you cannot do this, you must contact East Kent Housing, immediately.

Final Notice

If you do not pay your arrears after the first reminder letter, or if your arrears continue to rise, we will send you a Final Notice. This will ask you to pay your arrears. If for any reason you cannot pay, you must contact East Kent Housing, immediately.

Notices of Seeking Possession

If your arrears remain unpaid, you will be served with a Notice of Seeking Possession. This explains that Thanet District Council intends to start court action to gain possession of your home. We can take court action 28 days from the date of the Notice, if your arrears remain unpaid.

Possession Order

If we take court action, the Council will apply for a Possession Order. The County Court will send you a letter giving you the date of your court hearing. At court the Judge may grant a Suspended Possession Order, which means you must pay off your arrears by making a weekly payment, in addition to your weekly rent. You will be charged Court Costs of £150, which will be added to your arrears.

In some circumstances the Council will apply to the Court for an Outright Possession Order. This means the council will be able to take possession of your home within a certain time.

If a County Court Judgment (CCJ) is made against you, you may not be able to get credit in the future, including a mortgage, credit card or loan.

Warrant of Eviction

If an Outright Possession Order is made against you, or you do not pay your Suspended Possession Order, the Council will apply to the Court for a Warrant of Eviction, to evict you from your home.

It is a myth that the Council does not evict people, even if they have children. If you are evicted, you may be considered as ‘intentionally homeless’ and have difficulty finding somewhere else to live.

East Kent Housing

E-mail:

rent.recovery
@thanet.gov.uk

Tel: 01843 577000

Fax: 01843 290906

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