Paying your rent

If you are already an existing claimant, please update your change of circumstances as a matter of urgency to ensure that your rent is covered as priority.

Below are links that maybe of support to you and your household.

Apply for Universal credit 

Council tax support 

Rent is still being charged weekly and your normal rent payment is still expected.

If you have received:

• a letter about your rent arrears
• either a notice of seeking possession or notice to quit, or we have started either legal proceedings or eviction action to recover the rent arrears you owe us

Contact us

To contact your income officer, you can:

Create an online account to book an appointment
Email: councilrents@croydon.gov.uk
Telephone:  020 8726 6100

What happens if you do not pay your rent

If you do not pay or contact us, we will ask you to come for an interview. At the interview you will need to explain why you did not pay and we will look at what help you may need, for example by arranging payment in instalments.

If you do not pay your arrears or you fail to keep to your repayment arrangements we will start legal proceedings against you to recover the money you owe and you could be evicted. This means we will ask the court for an order to possess your home; if we evict you we will not re-house you and we will ask the court to recover the arrears of rent and the any legal costs

The following organisations can also give you debt management advice:

• Step Change Debt Charity
• Money Advice Service

If your home is too big for you

If you are unable to afford your rent as a result of under-occupying and wish to move to a smaller property:

• you will be paying lower rent
• you will be paying lower bills, such as council tax charges, gas and electricity
• a smaller home will be more manageable and need less housework
• you may wish to move to another area in the borough but have not been able to do so, due to the expense of moving

To find out more information see our grants for moving to a smaller home page.