Detailed below is information about paying your rent, covering areas such as what you have to pay, how you can pay and what we do with your payments.

What do I have to pay?

Your tenancy agreement will show you the total amount you have to pay for rent, service charge and any other charges.  We set rents by following government guidelines that are based on a formula for working out the rent for each home. The formula reflects property values and the average earnings of people in your area. The Government limits rent increases each year.

You may have services provided as part of your tenancy, and you will find more details about what these services are and how much you will pay for them in your service charge schedule. Typical services may be estate cleaning, caretaking and grounds maintenance.

How can I pay my rent?

We want paying your rent to be as easy as possible for you. There are several payment options available, you can pay by:

• Standing Order.
• Cash in person at our Office (please do not send cash through the post).
• Cheques made payable to Oak Tree Care Services Ltd with your name and address printed on the back of the cheque.
• Debit/Credit Card over the phone  - please call our Finance department on 020 8886 4422 to make a payment.

In general please always allow 3 working days for the payment to reach us.

We use the rent we collect to:

• Pay the owner of the property you are resident in.
• Repair and maintain your home.
• Manage the housing service.
• Repay money we have borrowed to build or improve homes.

When do I have to pay?

Under your tenancy agreement, your rent is due weekly in advance. This means you should pay your money on a Monday for that week.  We will expect you to pay it regularly each week unless we have agreed other payment arrangements with you, such as every month for the following month.

How will you tell me about any changes in the rent?

We will tell you about any change in your rent, service charge and other charges at least one month in advance. We will review our tenancy and licence rents (except Secure) every April (your agreement will confirm what type of tenancy you have).

If you have a Secure Tenancy, the Independent Rent Service will register your rent every two years. Please note that some tenants who have transferred from a local council will have their rent increases restricted as part of the transfer agreement.

What should I do if I have a question about an increase in my rent?

If you have a question about the amount of rent or service charge you have been asked to pay, please contact OTCS for more information. If you are not satisfied after this you can appeal to the Rent Assessment Committee. If you have a Secure Tenancy, you can appeal to the Rent Service.