Case study 1:
A difficult situation had arisen with one of our tenants who was experiencing some health issues, and had struggled to find her feet when she transitioned from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit.
Natalia, one of our Income Advisors, successfully secured a Discretionary Housing Payment totalling £3,000 which cleared our tenant's arrears in full. We then agreed with her that she would pay her rent going forward via a monthly Direct Debit in line with her Universal Credit, meaning her account is now paid in advance and is sustainable.
Through working closely with us to resolve her rent arrears, our tenant has been able to gain the confidence she needed to engage with other services regarding her health, safe in the knowledge that her home with us is secure.
What is a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP)?
This is an extra benefit, paid by Buckinghamshire Council, which is available to tenants in financial hardship with rent arrears.
Case study 2:
One of our tenants had been in rent arrears for two years. Her financial position was not good and she was struggling to make ends meet. Our Relationship Specialist Roger and Shaun, one of our Income Advisors, worked together with our tenant for some time to review her circumstances and signpost her to appropriate local support.
In order to secure her tenancy moving forward, when our tenant applied for Universal Credit she asked for rent to be paid directly to us. Having allowed our tenant sufficient time to address her circumstances, and offered support and advice over a prolonged period, she was able to make a one-off payment of over £2,000 to clear her debt and put her account one month in advance. For the first time in two years, our tenant can relax, knowing that she no longer has rent arrears.
Case study 3: Nikki's story
"Last year I found myself in rent arrears and I thought it would never end. For a while I pretended it wasn’t happening, but it was horrible, and I eventually realised I had to face up to things and stop ignoring the letters.
"I phoned Red Kite and spoke to Geoff. He was really understanding. I was worried I'd get told off and was scared about what would be said. But Geoff just wanted to help.
"Together we worked through things and came up with an amount each week that I could pay to help clear the arrears.
"It took a while, but now I haven’t just cleared the arrears, I'm actually in credit. This is a fantastic feeling as it means if I ever had an issue where I couldn’t pay, or if I need to spend some extra money at Christmas or in the holidays, I still have money there to pay my rent.
"I regularly call Geoff now to talk things through. He's always there at the end of the phone and he's just so understanding.
"My advice to anyone in a similar situation is: don’t be scared, pick up the phone and call, or email. They really will help and listen to you."
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