Living in temporary accommodation

Your tenancy agreement or license agreement is a weekly agreement and runs each week, from Monday to Sunday.

Rent becomes due on the Monday of each week or part week that you occupy your temporary accommodation.

Your tenancy agreement or license agreement will confirm the amount of rent due each Monday for your property. You may want to make a claim for Housing Benefit, which could reduce the amount of rent you have to pay.

You should always arrange to bring your account up to date immediately.

We have several different payment methods available for you to pay your rent for temporary accommodation.

Online

Pay online now

You can pay your rent online using a debit or credit card.

To pay your rent online, you will need:

your account number (this is seven characters long, and you can find it on temporary accommodation documents from us)
to know the amount that you need to pay
your card details, including the card number, CSV number, and start and expiry date
your email address

By standing order

You can pay your rent by standing order through your band or building society account.

Our bank details are:

Account name: Chelmsford City Council
Sort code: 60-05-13
Account number: 55600018
Reference: your tenancy reference

You will need to use your tenant reference number as the payment reference if you pay by standing order.

By phone

You can pay your rent by phone using a debit or credit card.

The payment phone number is 01245 606960.

In cash

You will receive an Allpay payment card when your tenancy agreement or license agreement starts. It can take up to 10 working days to arrive.

You can pay your rent in cash using your Allpay payment card at a Post Office or PayPoint outlet.

If you choose this payment method, you will need to pay by Wednesday morning for the payment to reach your rent account in time.

If you do not have an Allpay payment card or you have lost or damaged your card, call us on 01245 606960 and we will order a new card for you.

You can visit the Allpay website to find your nearest Post Office or PayPoint outlet.

By the MyTenancy App

To view your rent account online, download and register for the MyTenancy App.

To register:

create an account (with your email address)
set up a password
activate your account (you will receive a link in an email, make sure you check your junk inbox)
log in
add your tenancy reference key and date of birth
submit

If you don't know your tenancy reference key, you can call us on 01245 606960.

Your tenancy agreement or license agreement will tell you how much your weekly rent or occupation charge is.

It is your responsibility to pay your rent on time. Failure to do so could lead to eviction, and we will no longer have any housing duty towards you.

Your rent is due every week. If you find it easier to pay fortnightly or monthly because your wages are paid this way, you need to tell us.

You should pay your rent in advance to stop you falling into arrears. Being in rent arrears may stop you from being able to bid for a council or housing association home.

Rent is a priority debt and failure to pay may also affect your ability to secure a loan, credit or find another place to live.

Payment

You will receive a rent statement four times a year in January, April, July and October. When you moved into your temporary accommodation, we told you how much you need to pay each week.

If you're not sure how much rent you need to pay, you can look at your tenancy or license agreement, and on your MyTenancy app.

You can also contact us to check your balance and how much you need to pay.

If you fall behind with your rent

If you fall behind with your rent, we will send you a letter telling you how much you owe. If you do not pay your rent or your arrears, we may take legal action. Legal action may lead to you losing your temporary accommodation.

If you are evicted due to rent arrears, we will not rehouse you.

Managing your money

If you don't already get help with your rent through Housing Benefit, you can find out if you’re entitled by making a claim.

Housing Benefit often doesn’t always cover the full amount of your rent. You may be liable to make payments towards your rent.

Advice about money and debt

If you need help with managing your money, you can get support and advice from a range of organisations.

For a guide about managing your money, you can look at the Money Advice Service website.

For free advice about debt and money, you can:

If you are struggling to pay your rent or need information about your rent account, you must contact us. You can also call us on 01245 606960.

If you fall behind with your rent, we will send you a letter telling you how much you owe. Don't ignore this letter as it could mean you could lose your temporary accommodation.

If you miss a rent payment, we will contact you within ten working days of your rent payment date. We will either contact you by phone, email, letter or visit you at your accommodation.

We will ask why your rent account is in arrears, and discuss what we can do to prevent it from happening again.

If you are struggling to clear your rent arrears

If you are struggling to clear your arrears in full, we may able to put a payment agreement plan in place.

You can download and complete this income and expenditure form. This will help us create a payment agreement for you.

You can submit it online or post it to us at:

Chelmsford City Council
Housing Services
PO Box 457
Duke Street
Chelmsford
Essex
CM11JE

If you continue to miss your rent payments, we could ask you to leave your accommodation.

Advice about Housing Benefit and Universal Credit

You can check your eligibility and see if you can apply for Housing Benefit. If you (or your partner) are of working age, you may need to claim for Universal Credit instead to help with your rent.

You may also be able to claim for Discretionary Housing Payment. We pay this on top of Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.

You need to look at your tenancy or licence agreement to find out what to do if you need a repair at your temporary accommodation.

Your agreement will also include advice about repairs at your temporary accommodation.

You can contact us if you have questions about repairs.

Download our policy

Our Temporary Accommodation Placement Policy explains our approach to allocating temporary accommodation.

The policy also includes information about how we consider the location of accommodation, and the priority for in-city, Essex-wide or any area accommodation.

If you moved out of your temporary accommodation without paying the rent that was due, this is known as former tenant arrears.

If you have unpaid rent, you must pay this back. even if you no longer live at the property.

If you are having money problems, struggling to pay your former debt, or want to discuss your account you must contact us or call us on 01245 606960.