Difficulty paying my rent

If you are experiencing difficulties paying your rent you should contact your Housing Officer.

Your Housing Officer will provide assistance and support and can advise you on how to manage your debt and make affordable weekly agreements to clear the arrears.

Contact your Housing Officer at Apex:

Apex Housing Association Ltd

Staying in touch

Remember, it is important to contact your Housing Officer if you are experiencing difficulty paying your rent.

If you get into rent arrears and you have difficulty paying the full amount owed you must
come to an agreement to pay a regular amount towards your arrears.

We can also make referrals to Housing Rights Service, a debt advice service, who will offer you budgeting advice and negotiate weekly affordable agreements to clear the arrears.

Under no circumstances should you ignore any rent arrears letters, texts and telephone calls regarding your rent arrears. This could ultimately lead to legal action.

Apex has a dedicated team of Housing Officers. If the Officer for your area is not available, any of the other Housing Officers can provide you with advice and assistance.

Ways to pay your rent

We offer a number of quick and easy ways to keep up-to-date with your rent payments:

• By direct debit
• By Allpay swipe card
• By debit or credit card
• By cash or cheque

Advice on keeping out of debt

Steps to take

• Look at how much you have coming in each week
• Look at how much you spend each week
• Decide how much you can really afford to spend and set a budget
• Be prepared to reduce your spending on some items
• Ask your Housing Officer to carry out an ebenefits check

Remember

• Keep to your budget
• Taking out extra credit will increase your weekly spending
• Credit and store cards can be the most expensive form of borrowing

For further advice you may wish to contact Advice NI.