If you're having problems paying your council rent
If you're struggling to pay your rent, please phone us on 0300 300 0222.
We can give you advice and support about benefits and other help that may be available.
We can also discuss a manageable payment plan with you. Debt will not go away on its own, and we can talk with you about how to start repaying even a small amount.
What happens if you do not pay your council rent
You're legally required to pay your council rent. This is part of your tenancy agreement. If you do not pay your rent, we'll have to start the process to recover the unpaid rent and, if it reaches this point, to evict you from your council home.
Here are the stages of the legal process and what you'll need to do at each stage.
Notice of Proceedings for Recovery of Possession (NPRP)
Before we start the court process, we'll send you a 'Notice of Proceedings for Recovery of Possession (NPRP)'.
An NPRP is a legal document. It tells you that we're planning to take you to court so that we can recover the unpaid rent and evict you from your council home.
Please follow the instructions in your NPRP so that you can contact us and make a plan to pay your unpaid rent. If you do this and start paying your rent, we could avoid taking you to court, and you may be able to stay in your council home.
If you do not contact us and make a plan to pay your rent, then we'll move on to the next stage: a court summons.
Court summons
If you received an NPRP but did not contact us to make a plan to pay your unpaid rent, you'll receive a court summons.
A court summons is a document from the court. It tells you when and where you need to attend court.
What to do if you receive a court summons
Do not ignore a court summons or be afraid to ask for help.
There's still time to phone us on 0300 300 0222 and make a plan to pay your unpaid rent. We might be able to avoid taking you to court. But if we do still go to court, you can bring this plan to show the sheriff that you're taking steps to pay your unpaid rent and that you want to stay in your council home.
If possible, pay your unpaid rent before going to court.
If you need advice or help before going to court, you can:
- contact Advice Works by phoning 0300 300 1238 or emailing adviceworks@renfrewshire.gov.uk - Advice Works is our free service that gives advice about money, debt, and benefits to Renfrewshire residents
- contact Citizens Advice Scotland (cas.org.uk website) to get free, impartial, confidential advice
- hire a solicitor.
What happens in court
In court, you'll need to tell the sheriff why you have not paid your rent and why you should not be evicted from your council home.
At the end of the session, the sheriff will either:
- order you to pay your unpaid rent over a period of time, allowing you to stay in your council home - this would be your last chance to pay your debt on a weekly schedule and avoid being evicted from your council home
- grant us a 'decree for recovery of possession' - this is a legal document that allows us to start the process to evict you from your council home
- move the case to another date, which sometimes happens in court.
The court can tell you how to appeal its decision if you do not agree with it.
Sheriff court orders (the decisions that sheriffs make in court) are registered with certain credit reference agencies. This means that it might become more difficult for you to get credit from banks or other finance organisations.
This is another reason to phone us on 0300 300 0222 and make a plan to pay your unpaid rent before we reach the court stage.