Temporary accommodation: how to pay your rent

Clients of the homeless service who have been placed into temporary accommodation will have to pay rent on the property, to either the homeless service or a housing association.

Keep your rent account up to date

It is very important that your rent is paid, even if it is being paid by housing benefit. It is your responsibility to ensure that your housing benefit is being paid into your rent account.

If you have not yet claimed housing benefit, call 020 7364 5001 and ask to make a claim.

Paying your rent

You will be sent a rent payment card within 14 days of signing your tenancy agreement. If you do not receive a card, or if you lose your card, contact the homeless service or your housing association to receive a new one. You will be sent a new card each time you move to a new property – always use the latest card you have received.

If your property is managed by the homeless service, you can pay your rent at any of the following locations:

• any Post Office or shop with a Paypoint or Payzone terminal
• by telephone (with a debit card) – 020 7364 3800
• by post – send cheques* directly to the homeless service or postal orders to the Payment Point
• at One Stop Shops – cheques* can be placed in the automated machines
• by standing order – regular payments can be taken from your bank account, call us for a form to set up a standing order
• at the Payment Point (cashier’s office) – you can pay by cash, cheque* or debit card at the Payment Point next door to the homeless service offices.

* Make cheques payable to 'London Borough of Tower Hamlets’ and write your rent reference number on the back.

Download Paying your rent (PDF, 348k) 

Download Paying your rent to an housing association (PDF, 250k)

Problems paying your rent?

If you are having problems paying your rent, seek help and advice as early as possible. You should contact the Arrears Team, either at the homeless service or at your housing association (dependent on who your landlord is) to agree a payment plan that will clear any arrears.

Remember, once a repayment plan is agreed you must try to stick to it.

Assistance can also be sought from tenancy sustainment officers at the homeless service and you can get housing-related debt advice from the money advice officers in the housing advice team. 

More information about money advice.

Rent arrears affects your bidding

If you are bidding for a permanent property, this is done through the Homeseekers Scheme. If you have arrears of over 10 weeks rent and are not reducing the debt, you are unlikely to be offered any property you successfully bid for as they always check your rent account before making an offer.

Rent arrears can lead to eviction

If you are evicted, the following is likely to happen:

• You are likely to be found intentionally homeless, your homeless application will close and you will have to find your own accommodation.
• Your homeless sponsorship to the community housing list will be withdrawn and your application placed in a lower community group.
• You will have a County Court judgement against your name that will affect your credit rating.
• You will still have to pay your rent arrears.

Former rent arrears

If you leave temporary accommodation owing rent, and are not making payments to clear the debt, we will take further action to recover your arrears. Action taken will include:

• referring the arrears to a debt collection agency
• securing and enforcing a County Court judgment
• using a bailiff to collect the debt

Where additional costs are incurred through this action, the cost will be added to the original debt.

How to contact us

In the first instance, it is best to telephone us if you do not know which housing association manages your property. We will check our records and tell you who you need to contact to pay your rent.

Homeless and housing advice services
Albert Jacob House
62 Roman Road
Bethnal Green
London
E2 0PG

Tel: 020 7364 7474
Fax: 020 7364 7222

Email: homeless@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Open Monday - Friday   9.30am - 4pm

Access Wheelchair access. Hearing loop in reception

Nearest tube station: Bethnal Green
Nearest bus routes: 8, D6 (Roman Road), 309 (Globe Road), 106, 254 (Cambridge Heath Road)