Southend-on-Sea Council helps to negotiate arrears with landlords

Tenants in Southend-on-Sea who are engaged in a disagreement with their landlord may get help with the process by a member of the Housing Options Team at Council. This service is provided on behalf of local citizens who need extra assistance dealing with a temporary hardship.

As a key component of Council’s focus on ending homelessness, substantial effort is made to help tenants who are experiencing problems making rent payments to get through any temporary crisis. Often the nature of the discussions centres around arrears, though other behaviours could also be included in the discussion.

Negotiations with landlords often allow tenants more time to come up with necessary funds to catch up on rent. This benefits all parties involved when a successful outcome is arranged.

Landlords benefit when a tenant is current on rent payments. Tenants are better off when they are in a stable housing situation. Council is able to keep homeless numbers down while ensuring that landlords are able to pay Council Tax. Neighbourhoods are also strengthened when vacancies are reduced.

How to get help with arrears

Tenants who are in arrears and wish to gain assistance from Council may complete the Housing Options Wizard on Council’s website. Following this online assessment, a telephone call may be placed to the Housing Options Team at 01702 215000. Staff will be able to review the results of the online session to better develop a preliminary course of action.

Council can contact each landlord to review the situation and to determine potential actions to take. Perhaps the tenant needs help negotiating a temporary payment holiday. Maybe a repayment strategy could be arranged where repayment of arrears could be spread over two or more months. Perhaps a home has become unaffordable for a tenant and they need help negotiating an end to the tenancy. A mutually beneficial agreement could eliminate the costly and embarrassing process of eviction.

Backup Plan

As a backup solution, Council does provide referrals for temporary housing. Council administers hostels in Southend and Westcliff. This emergency option will carry some reduced cost that should be affordable for almost any situation.

The Housing Options Team will also review each client’s eligibility for benefit payments. This could help a client pay their current rent or to establish an affordability range on a new tenancy.

Any tenant who is either about to fall behind or hopelessly in arrears should contact Southend-on-Sea Borough Council at 01702 215002. The earlier the call, the more options may still be available for the situation.