Struggling to pay rent
- If you’re struggling to pay rent or worried about debts, it’s important that you speak to the income team as soon as possible so we can help you to try and find a solution
- You can call us on 0800 652 0898 – we’re open 8.30am-5pm Monday to Thursday, and 8.30am-4.30pm on Friday. You can also through Live Chat and WhatsApp too
- Rent is a priority debt; this means you could be at risk of losing your home if you don’t work with us to resolve the situation
The income team will discuss your current circumstances with you – please be open and honest so we can offer you the best advice and support.
We can help with:
- referring you to our money and benefits team to make sure you’re getting the correct entitlement for your circumstances or for help dealing with benefit problems
- setting up an affordable arrangement to repay your debt to VIVID
- loaning of a digital device
- applying for discretionary housing payments and other financial support
- advice about debts and free support organisations that can help you to deal with them
- If you fall behind on any payments, we'll contact you to find out why this happened and whether you need any support to make payments and clear the debt
- Your rent must be paid in advance. Any repayment arrangement you make with VIVID must try to clear debt as soon as possible. Rent is a priority debt so if you don’t pay this on time or stick to the debt repayment plan you make with us, then you may be at risk of losing your home
- We recommend using our Benefits and Budget Calculator to work out how much you can regularly afford towards your debts after paying your essential outgoings
- You can also set up a direct debit for your debt repayments
- If you don’t meet our minimum payment criteria, then you need to contact us and request to speak to the income team. You'll need to send us a completed financial statement form and three months’ bank statements – these are needed so that an income officer can fully assess your financial situation and see if you’re eligible for a different repayment arrangement
- It's important that you are honest and realistic about what you can afford, you can work this out by using the Benefits and Budget Calculator
- Once you’ve set up a debt repayment plan with us, it’s important that you make the payments that you agreed to. If you don’t then we may not be able to make any more debt repayment arrangements unless you can show proof of a significant change in your financial situation (e.g. job loss/benefit change)
- If you regularly miss payments, we may take legal action to recover the debt, which can include getting your repayments agreed under a court order or repossessing your home. The costs of any legal action will be passed onto you to repay to us
