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Housing - Adur Homes Services
NEW : Take our survey and have a chance to win £20 M&S vouchers
We are currently looking at the ways in which our residents choose to pay their bills with us. Everybody who completes the survey will have the chance to be entered into a prize draw to win £20 Marks and Spencer gift voucher... Tell us how you pay the Council now
Information for tenants - Making a housing payment
Tenant's rent is due weekly each Monday. If you wish to pay monthly, your payments must be in advance. You must pay the correct rent regularly and on time, otherwise action will be taken against you which may result in you losing your home.
There are a number of ways you can make payments including:
- By Direct Debit
- Electronic payments on-line
- By Standing Order
- In a Post Office or PayPoint outlet
- At the Council Offices (by cash, cheque, debit or credit card)
- By post (by cheque)
- By telephone (by debit card or credit card)
- Home banking
See also :
- Information needed to make an Adur housing payment
- Changing the way you make payments
- Answers to Frequently asked questions about the new barcoded payment cards
Rent refunds :
To claim a rent refund please use our :
- On-line rent refund form (fill the form in on-screen, then print it, sign it and return it) (requires Adobe Acrobat)
By Direct Debit
You
can now choose to pay your rent and service charges by Direct Debit. No more
queuing and no need for cash or debit cards.
Why not switch to the safe, smart and easy way to pay?
What is Direct Debit?
A Direct Debit gives the council permission to take money from your bank account in agreed amounts at agreed times. You will be given at least 10 days notice if any changes are made, and you can cancel at any time.
It's simple - complete the form and we will deal directly with your bank.
It's convenient - If you choose to pay on a weekly basis, payments will come out of your bank account each Tuesday. If you choose to pay on a monthly basis, payments will come out of your bank account on the first Monday of each month. It's secure - the Direct Debit guarantee protects all your payments.
It's secure - the Direct Debit guarantee protects all your payments.
It's efficient - and the money we save can be put back in to improve services.
When we receive your form, we'll take your bank details and send you a confirmation letter. We'll send you a confirmation letter that includes a copy of the Direct Debit guarantee. We'll also give you at least ten working days notice of the amounts that will be debited from your bank account. You should continue to make payments as previously agreed until you receive the confirmation letter telling you that the Direct Debit is set up.
How to request a Direct Debit instruction form
- Download a Direct Debit form:
- The Direct Debit form can be obtained from and returned to any of the council offices. Rent payments should be maintained until your Direct Debit payments have started. You will be advised in writing of the first payment date.
Your guarantee with Direct Debit
If you choose to pay by Direct Debit, all your payments are covered by this guarantee. This guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that take part in the Direct Debit scheme. The efficiency and security of the scheme is monitored and protected by your own bank or building society. If the amounts to be paid or the payment dates change, we will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If an error is made by us, or your bank or building society, you are guaranteed a full and immediate refund from your branch of the amount paid. You can cancel a direct debit at any time by writing to your bank or building society. Please send us a copy of your letter.
Electronic payments on-line
You
can make a payment on-line using our secure payments service.
Please make sure you have the relevant information before making a payment:
By Standing Order
You can instruct your bank to pay by Standing Order on a date that is convenient to you, e.g. the date that you get paid. This arrangement is solely between you and your bank, but you should allow five working days for your payment to reach us. The Council’s Bank details are: Sort Code 08-90-25, Account Number 61020977.
Please make sure you have the relevant information before making a payment:
In a Post Office or PayPoint outlet
You can make payments at any Post Office or PayPoint outlet in the country using your barcoded payment card.
Payments at the Post Office can be made by cash, debit card or cheque. Cheques should be made payable to “Post Office Counters Ltd”.
PayPoint outlets always accept cash payment, but card and cheque payments are at the discretion of the individual PayPoint outlet, and may incur a small fee. Cheques should be made payable to the outlet in the name they advise.
If you lose your card you must let us know and we will arrange for a new card to be issued to you as soon as possible.
Locations:
- PayPoint locations : see www.paypoint.co.uk/locator
- Post Office locations : see the 'Branch Finder' on the Post Office website (in top line of their webpage) (www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder)
See also :
At the Council Offices (by cash, cheque, debit or credit card)
You can make payments by cash, cheque and debit/credit card at the Civic Centre, Shoreham-by-Sea; and payments by debit or credit card at Worthing Town Hall; using your barcoded payment card.
See also :
By post (by cheque)
You
can make postal payments by cheque. Please allow three working days for your payment to reach us.
Cheques should be made payable to ‘Adur District Council’ and you should write your account reference number on the back. A receipt will only be issued if a stamped addressed envelope is enclosed.
Note : Cash should only be sent by registered post.
Please make sure you have the relevant information before making a payment:
By telephone (by debit card or credit card)
Debit
and credit card payments can now be made over a pre-recorded telephone line,
which is totally confidential. You will need to have your account reference
number and card details to hand when making your payment.
This service is available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Tel. 0300 123 6002.
Please make sure you have the relevant information before making a payment:
Home banking
Customers who have access to home banking via the internet or telephone can pay in this way.
You should advise your bank of the Council’s bank account details - Sort Code 08-90-25, Account Number 61020977 - and your account reference number. Your bank can then make payments following your instructions. You should allow 7 working days for the payment to reach us.
Please make sure you have the relevant information before making a payment:
Information needed to make an Adur housing payment
In order to make a payment to Adur Homes, you will need to quote your account reference number, which will be one of the following:
- Rent account number : Your rent account reference number can be found on any correspondence from Adur Homes. It will have 10 digits and will begin with the numbers ‘902’ (for example, 90201999 0 9).
- Leaseholder reference number
If you do not know your account reference number, please contact us and a member of staff will provide it for you.
Changing the way you make payments
You can request to pay by direct debit, or change any existing payment arrangements, by :
- sending an e-mail about changing the way you make payments
- or by calling (01273) 263335
- See also the Council's payments webpage
Answers to Frequently asked questions about the new barcoded payment cards
FAQ : My existing plastic card worked perfectly well - why are you replacing it with these barcoded payment cards?
- The new barcoded payment cards represent much better value for money for our tenants. We used another company to produce and send out the plastic payment cards, and as well as the costs involved, we were finding that there was often a delay in the cards being sent out. We also found that tenants who had cards linked to more than one rent account sometimes experienced problems where the payments were being made against the wrong account.
- Now that we can print the barcode ourselves on any stationery, it is much cheaper for us to replace lost or damaged cards and issue new cards if your account details should change.
- New cards will generally be posted out within a week, so you should also get your replacement card more quickly than before.
- The original plastic cards will no longer be maintained, so there is a risk that any payments made via these cards may not reach the correct account at Adur Homes.
FAQ : This new card is a bit flimsy - why can't it be a plastic card which will last longer?
- In order to improve value for money and reduce costs, we are now printing these cards ourselves, on standard printers, which cannot print onto plastic cards. Now that we can print the barcode ourselves on any stationery, it is much cheaper for us to replace lost or damaged cards and issue new cards if your account details should change. New cards will generally be posted out within a week, so you should also get your replacement card more quickly than before.
FAQ : The card has my name and address on it - this is a lot of info to either give to someone in a shop, or to lose
- We need to be able to help tenants identify the individual account that each payment card relates to. Some tenants may have a number of payment cards for Adur Homes, e.g. a main property card, a support charges sub account, a garage, a former tenancy, etc., and payments must be made to the correct account.
- Additionally, if a barcode on a payment card stops working for any reason, the cashiers need to be able to be able to readily identify the correct account to apply the payment to, and to order a replacement card.
- The cards have no monetary value, and cannot be used for any purpose other than paying on to the accounts. For tenants who are unhappy with the amount of data being disclosed, they may want to consider an alternative payment method such as Direct Debit.
FAQ : I don't need a payment card, but have been sent one - what do I do with it?
- The payment card should be used for making payments at the Council Offices as well as PayPoint outlets and Post Offices. If you no longer pay by any of these means, then you do not need a payment card. You can either keep the card safe, in case you may need it to make payments at a future date, or destroy it.
FAQ : If I think I have lost my card, request a replacement, and then find the original card, which card should I use?
- A replacement card does not cancel the original card's ability to work, so either card can be used to make payments. You can either keep both cards, or destroy one of them.
FAQ : The letter sent with the payment card quotes a weekly amount to pay. My Housing Benefit has changed recently, but I haven't had a new letter/card - why not?
- The payment card remains valid - the detail in the letter was for your information only, as at the point in time when it was produced. If you are unsure of your new weekly amount to pay following a change in Housing Benefit, you should speak to your Housing Management Officer.
FAQ : How do I pay my Council Tax?
- The new barcoded payment cards are for Adur Homes accounts only - they do not allow you to pay Council Tax with them.
- If you have an old style plastic payment card that is already set-up for Council Tax payments, then at the moment, you can continue to use it to pay for Council Tax in Post Offices and PayPoint outlets, although this facility is likely to be withdrawn at some point in the future.
- New Council Tax bills display a barcode that can be used for making payments at the Council Offices, PayPoint outlets and Post Offices.
- For further information, please contact Council Tax using the details supplied on your latest bill.
