Debt Advice

Being able to pay your rent regularly is very important. If you fail to make a payment, you risk your home. NB Housing staff will engage with tenants who find themselves in this position to offer advice and discuss options to stay on top of your rent payments.

Action you can take to avoid getting into arrears:

Budget carefully and don’t put off paying your rent as it will only lead to more significant problems in the future. Make a list of your debts, both priority and non-priority. Paying priority debts will ensure you keep your house as well as essential services.
Work out how much you have coming in and spend and work out a budget plan. We recommend you use one of the agencies listed at the bottom of the webpage to help you with budgeting.
Ensure that you make your payments regularly. If you work and don’t get paid weekly, we are happy to accept fortnightly or monthly payments, but these must be made in advance. Talk to us about your payment frequency.
Check your rent statement regularly to make sure that your rent is covered by either your payments or by help from Housing Benefit/Allowance (or both).
If you have agreed to a repayment plan and you think you may have difficulty making a payment, contact us immediately to avoid further action being taken.

What will happen if I don't pay my rent?

Suppose you don’t pay your rent and fail to contact NB Housing. In that case, we will make every attempt to contact you and help you with any difficulties that might be stopping you from making a payment.

However, if you won’t work with us, we will have no alternative but to serve a Notice of Seeking Possession on you. This is the first stage of legal proceedings, resulting in you losing your home.

We will continue to try and help you. Still, if you do not pay your rent or continually fail to keep to a repayment plan to clear any arrears, you may be evicted from your home.

How can I pay my rent?

You can pay your rent in several ways, including:

Standing Order. This is the easiest way to pay, and money can be transferred from your bank account to NB Housing on a weekly/fortnightly/monthly basis.
Online by card
At Paypoint outlets and the Post Office with your Allpay card. If you require a card, please let us know.
In Person by calling into either office on Crumlin Road or at Flax Street and paying by cash or cheque, you will be issued with a receipt.

Seek free independent financial advice about budgeting and debts

What should I do if I have difficulty paying my rent?

Please don’t ignore it, talk to us. Contact your Housing Officer in complete confidence as soon as possible. We are here to help, and the earlier you contact us, the easier it will be for us to help you. Ignoring your debt problems will only make them worse.

If you get into arrears, we will negotiate an agreement to help you pay off the arrears without incurring other debts.

You Can:

Enter into a voluntary agreement with us, including paying the arrear off in full, making regular weekly payments on top of your rent or setting up voluntary deductions from your salary or benefits.

We Can:

Apply to take arrears on a compulsory basis if a voluntary agreement is not possible or fails. This includes deductions from benefits.
We can also refer you for specialist advice to ensure you are getting all the benefits and tax credits you are entitled to or help you if you have high debt levels and can’t cope.

Helpful agencies for you to contact about debt:

Here are some helpful agencies for you to contact:

Citizens Advice Bureau 0300 123 3233
Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) 03448 920 902
Housing Rights 028 9024 5640
Advice NI 028 9064 5919
Debt Support Trust 0800 085 0226

Need more Information?

We have created a downloadable document with more information on Debt Advice.

Debt Advice

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