18 Dec Basildon Council launches Rent First campaign
Basildon Council is asking tenants to make rent the first bill they pay as part of a new “Rent First” campaign.
The council, which owns more than 10,000 homes across the borough, has launched the first phase of the campaign which focusses on getting tenants the help and support they need to keep up to date with rent payments.
Later phases of the campaign will highlight the importance of making rent payments and that not paying your rent could mean losing your home.
In November the council approved a new policy that has a strong emphasis on prevention and early intervention with the aim of continuously improving collection rates. The updated policy takes into account changes in legislation affecting social housing tenants including universal credit. The single payment for people looking for work or on a low income replaces six key benefits.
The campaign will also encourage as many tenants as possible to transfer their payments to Direct Debit
