If you are struggling with your rent payments get in touch with your Income Officer, they can refer you to our money and debt specialists for help and advice.
More information is available on our Help with rent arrears and benefits page.
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Debt advice
Owing money can be very stressful, thankfully there is a lot of help available for you to access if you would like to resolve your debt issues.
Below is a list of some steps you can take yourself to get started on the process of dealing with your debts. However, remember that you do not have to tackle it on your own we can refer you to a specialist advisor, or signpost you to an external agency. You can also contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau, or call Stepchange for advice over the phone.
Residents in London can access free, independent and expert support on all kinds of money worries including debt from Debt Free London.
When in debt the most important thing is to get organised. So:
- Don’t take out any further credit.
- Make a list of:
- Who you owe money to.
- How much is owed to each one.
- What type of debt it is (see below).
- The type of debts.
Priority debts
These are the ones where serious action can be taken against you if you don’t pay what is owed, or come to a repayment arrangement. These include:
- rent arrears
- council tax
- gas/electricity
- court fines
- child maintenance.
Non-Priority debts
These are debts such as credit cards, mobile phone bills, unsecured loans, water bills, benefit overpayments etc.
The action these creditors can take is less serious than with priority debts.
Priority debts should always be taken care of first.
Debts explained
- Do a budget to work out how much money you have available to repay your debts. See our money management tools.
- Get in touch with your most important creditors first and negotiate monthly repayments.
- Get help. If you feel you can’t cope or handle your debts yourself, contact us or an independent advice agency.
For more detail you can download the money and debt advice booklet (PDF, 10.7MB).