Paying your rent
Rent payments should be paid in advance and we offer lots of ways to pay. You can choose to pay weekly (the Monday before it's due), fortnightly, four weekly, or monthly.
If there are changes to your rent and/or service charge, we will let you know in advance - you can find out more about this below
If you are finding it difficult to pay, we are here to help.
Ways to pay
- Direct debit
- Standing order
- Our customer portal
- Allpay
- In-store with your rent payment card
- Direct payments
For most people direct debit is the easiest way to pay. Once set up, your rent is taken automatically from your bank or building society account. You can choose to have your direct debit collected monthly, or weekly on either a Monday or a Friday. There are no fees, and it can help you avoid missing a payment.
Request a direct debit form via our customer portal, complete the form at the bottom of this page or call 0300 561 1111.
You can arrange for a standing order to be taken from your bank or building society account on a date that you choose. To set up this regular payment you will need our bank account details which are:
Name: Irwell Valley HA
Sort code: 30-00-02
Account: 01080917
Please use your Tenancy Sequence Number (TSN) as the payment reference. This is important so we know the payment has come from you and can credit your account. Your TSN can be found on the app or on any letter sent by our rents team.
Manage your account and make payments via our new online service.
Find out how to download it here.
You can pay through allpay using a credit or debit card, either over the phone 24hrs a day, via their website here, or by using their mobile app.
If you are making your first payment using allpay either via the website or their mobile app, you will be asked to sign up. You will need your Property Reference Number (PRN) which can be found on any of your recent rent statements or your Irwell Valley Homes App. If you can't find this, please call us on 0300 561 1111.
You will also need your PRN if making a payment over the phone. The allpay phone line number is 0330 041 6497.
You can pay at any shop that has a Paypoint outlet using your rent payment card. Find your nearest PayPoint location here.
You can also pay at any Post Office - find your nearest post office here.
You can request a new rent card via our customer portal or by calling us on 0300 561 1111.
If you receive Housing Benefit, you can request that the Local Authority pay this directly to us.
If you receive Universal Credit, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) may be able to pay this directly to us if you meet certain criteria – please contact them to find out if you are eligible.
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Support to pay your rent
We're here to help
It’s important to pay your rent on time, but we know it’s not always that easy, particularly with rising living costs.
If you are struggling to pay, please let us know as soon as possible. We can support you to get back on track and see if you are entitled to any extra financial support. We may also refer you to money specialists and debt advisors if we feel you would benefit.
When you contact us we will listen to you and offer non-judgemental help and support. If you would prefer to speak to someone in person, we can organise a home visit.
Find organisations who can help with money and debt here.
The sooner you get in touch, the easier it will be. We will listen to you, provide help and support, and won't ever judge you or your situation.
Rent arrears
If you fall behind with your rent payments, we promise to make a fair and affordable agreement with you to repay them. This will be based on how much you can afford to pay, considering your other outgoings.
To help us, help you - please respond to text messages or letters from us and attend any appointments. This is important to ensure you can stay in your home.
If you don’t repay your arrears, or keep to your agreement, we will serve you with a Notice of Seeking Possession. This is the first legal step in taking back possession of your home.
If you continue to fail to contact us and/ or fail to repay your arrears, we will make an application to the court for possession of your home. At the hearing a Judge can make an order for immediate possession of the property.
If you have received a court hearing date or eviction date, contact us immediately. Even at this late stage, we can work together so you can stay in your home.
Former tenancy arrears
If you have moved out of one of our homes and have outstanding rent arrears, it will affect your ability to get another home. Please contact us today so we can work together to put a plan in place to deal with the debt.
How we set rent
We set rent in-line with the Government’s guidance. There are, however, several exceptions which allow rent to be increased for one year or longer.
How we set your rent will depend on what type of tenancy you have with us. On average our social housing rents are around 59% of the market value.
- Secure rent tenancies
- Assured rent tenancies
- Supported housing
- Affordable rent
- Shared ownership
- Intermediate market rent
- Market rent
If your tenancy started before the 15th January 1989 you are likely to have a secure rent tenancy. This will be significantly lower than the market rent for your area.
We will review your rent every two years taking into consideration any improvements made, inflation and any known increases in costs.
If you have an assured tenancy your rent will be significantly lower than the market rent for your area.
You will qualify for formula rent so we will increase your rent by a certain percentage based on inflation and in line with government guidelines.
Certain homes don’t fall under the rent formula.
Your rent will be significantly lower than the market rent for your area.
You will qualify for formula rent, so we will increase your rent by a certain percentage based on inflation and in line with government guidelines.
Affordable rents are set at up to 80% of the average private rent for an equivalent property of that size in that location.
We annually review the rent for shared ownership tenancies in-line with individual lease agreements.
If you bought your home through our shared ownership scheme, your rent will not qualify for the social rent formula.
Intermediate market rent is set at no more than 80% of the average private rent for an equivalent property of that size in that location.
We carry out annual rent reviews and any increases are limited to CPI plus 1%. The rent levels for newly let properties will be based on a new valuation of the property.
Rent is set at a level that is no more than 100% of the average private rent for an equivalent property of that size and in that location.
We carry out annual rent reviews and any increases are limited to CPI plus 1%. The rent levels for newly let properties will be based on a new valuation of the property.
Appeals
If you hold a secure tenancy, you can appeal a rent increase to the rent assessment committee at the rent service here or call their helpline on 03000 501501.
If you hold an assured tenancy, you can contact us by emailing contact@irwellvalley.co.uk or calling us on 0300 561 1111.
Find out more about how we set our rents in our policy here.
Service charges
If you live in a property with shared facilities - such as a block of flats or independent living - you are likely to pay service charges. These cover the cost of the services we provide such as cleaning, gardening, caretaking, and servicing of lifts, lighting and any other items in your shared areas.
Our commitment to you:
- We will ensure service charges represent good value for money.
- We will clearly outline what is being provided; why it is needed and provide a breakdown of the costs.
- We will consult with you to make sure you agree our approach is fair.
- If we need to increase a service charge, we will give you a minimum of 28 days’ notice in writing.
Find out more about your service charges in our policy here.