Paying your rent should be a priority.
If you miss any payments on your rent account this is known as being in arrears. It is important that any rent arrears are not ignored as they can build up to a large amount and become very difficult to pay off.
Direct Debit
This is the most convenient way to pay your rent on a regular basis through your bank account. Setting up a Direct Debit is quick and easy. Simply login to My account to set one up online.
If you have a bank account but are unable to pay by Direct Debit it may be possible to pay on a regular basis by standing order. Please discuss this option with us. Direct debits are available weekly on Mondays or monthly on the 1st, 8th, 15th and 25th of the month.
Online through My account
You can pay by debit/credit card through My account. Simply login and choose make a payment.
Yes - if you are having difficulities in paying your rent, simply login to My account and send us a message. A member of our Money Advice team will be in touch with you. You can also seek advice from:
Universal Credit (UC) is a single benefit that replaces the following:
With Universal Credit, the Government wants to encourage more people into work and earning more money so there will be fewer people in the UK living in poverty. The Government has tried to make the system simple to help people understand what they are entitled to and make the claiming process easier. Find out more about UC here: https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/
Direct Debit is a really easy, practical and safe way to pay your rent:
Simply login and contact us through My account for more information. Alternatively you can create an account
Your rent balance can be viewed through My account. Simply create an account, login and click on 'My rent'. If you are logged in already click here.
We provide money advice drop in sessions across various locations and times. Often they are weekly, we recommend checking our events to find the nearest drop in session to you.
The Aspire Housing website is safe to use card payments. Always check that before you type your card details the site is secure.
Look out for a small padlock symbol in the address bar (or elsewhere in your browser window) and a web address beginning with https:// (the s stands for 'secure'). The entire Aspire Housing website is https:// secure so you can have peace of mind that your data and information is safe.
The benefit cap restricts how much a household can claim. The cap is:
Benefits included in the cap are:
Benefits excluded from the cap are:
You are excluded from the cap if you or your partner are:
Find out if you're affected by clicking here
To find out if you are entitled to claim for additional benefits, you can use the free independent tool, entitled to.
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/benefits-calculator/home/start
Dukes are a third-party income collection agency who work on our behalf. If you have received a letter from them you will need to contact them direct on 01785 825500.
Universal Credit is being introduced throughout 2018 in phases. You can check here if you are eligible to claim Universal Credit or an existing benefit.
If you need to make a new claim for any of the following benefits, this will now be Universal Credit if you are eligible.
If you are already claiming these benefits and don’t need to claim another one you don’t need to do anything now. The Department for Work and Pensions will get in touch with you before there are any changes to your benefits.
Universal Credit works differently to the existing benefit system and it is still relatively new, it hasn’t been launched across all areas of the UK yet. It launched in Cheshire in 2017 and will roll out across the country throughout 2018.
Here’s some key information you should know about UC:
We can help and support you through the transition to Universal Credit. Visit one of our Money Advice or Income Management drop-in sessions.
If you’d prefer to speak to one of our team, you can reach our expert Money Advisors on 01782 635200.
Since April 2003, both council and housing association tenants have had their rents set according to the Government’s national formula.
The best place to see a member of the team is at the various drop-in sessions held around the area each week.
The bedroom tax is a shortfall in housing benefit because the property you're renting is considered to large for you or your family's needs. Housing benefit only covers the cost of a property with the number of bedrooms which match your housing eligibility.
If you're looking to move into one of our homes, we'll check if you are affected. We will only offer a property that is larger than you are eligible for if you don't rely on housing benefit.
Your current rent account balance can be viewed by logging into My Account.
There are no surcharges or management fees applied to our water charges.
We do not profit from service charges.
If you pay a water charge, this will be recharged to you at face value, equally divided by the number of properties that the charge applies to.
Universal Credit is coming to Newcastle-under-Lyme on Wednesday 12th December 2018. This will help with support towards your family and regular monthly payments which don’t necessarily cut off when you start working. It will help you link together your workload and being a parent. This means it’s easier to take part-time, flexible or temporary jobs. This will help you gain valuable skills and help avoid gaps within your CV.
Your payment is constructed on your earnings; this isn’t based on how many hours you work. This means you have a range of flexibility and can apply for a wider range of jobs and get back to work sooner as Universal Credit tops up your earnings even if you’re on a low income.
Depending on certain circumstances, you could still get help and advice on pushing your earnings to a higher rate when you’re in work.
