Paying Your Rent

WAYS YOU CAN PAY YOUR RENT

You can pay by…

Logging on to your MYMHA online customer portal – Go to MY ACCOUNT – Pay MY Rent.
Direct Debit
Cash via ALLPAY Card at any pay point or post office
ALLPAY App – to pay online using your Debit card
Debit card payment at our office or over the phone
Bank Standing Order
Online Banking -Bank transfers into MHA account.

If you would like to pay via standing order or bank transfer, our bank details are listed below.

Account name: Manningham Housing Association

Account number: 320 277 61

Sort Code: 56-00-36

Note: Please quote your tenancy 6-digit reference number (which can be found on the top left of your rent statement) as a payment reference with your name.

MHA Internal help and advice

If you are finding it difficult to make your rent payments or are suffering financial difficulties because of your current financial situation, we can offer you support to help you maintain your rent account in order and help in claiming any benefits to which you may be entitled via our dedicated Benefit Support Officer.

Please contact the Income Team on 01274 771144 between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm to discuss your rent account and how we can support you.

For further information on our process for rent collection & rent arrears please refer to:

Rent Collection Rent Arrears Policy

This section covers our rent service standards. If you are worried about paying your rent on time, please get in touch with a member of our Income Management team as soon as possible and we will provide you with support.

Please note: Our Income team responds to requests for refunds within 28 days.

Housing benefit

If you are struggling to pay your rent because you are on a low income or are unemployed, you may be entitled to housing benefit. However, to start this process, you will need to submit a claim form to Bradford Council’s Housing Benefits team.

If you need help or advice on: applying for housing benefit, appealing overpayments, suspended hb, hb that has been stopped or if there is a shortfall due to non-dependant deductions, bedroom tax or benefit cap, contact a member of our Income team and we will be happy to help.

Arrears

If you fail to pay your rent, we will:

Contact you to talk about your rent arrears
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Offer you advice and support, to try and come to an arrangement with you about how you will clear the debt
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Offer welfare advice and suggest ways to maximise your income
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Check you are getting the right amount of housing benefit if you are already claiming.

In most cases, we will be able to help you, and by taking early action you may be able to avoid court proceedings and extra costs.

We are reluctant to take legal action and will only do so if necessary. Talk to us if you are worried. If you are finding it hard to pay your rent, please contact a member of our Income team who are committed to supporting customers who may be in difficulty.

The sooner you contact us the sooner we can help you to sort it.

Legal action may include county court judgments, possession orders or even eviction from your home. This process would be stopped if you pay your rent and maintain your arrangement to clear arrears.

If you end your tenancy owing rent arrears, you will be referred to our specialist team who will arrange with you to clear the debt. If the property is left abandoned, our team will take action to trace you to recover the debt.

At MHA we have a Welfare Benefits & Financial Support Officer ‘Faisal Khan’.

Our Team

Faisal dedicates his time supporting households who are in rent arrears or are finding it difficult to make payments. Faisal’s knowledge and experience enable him to provide all tenants with practical support and advice to establish and manage their budgets.

Read here the most recent update for winter 2021

Read here about Household Support Fund

Faisal is also able to offer advice to tenants affected by Welfare Reform changes; he can identify tenants needs and issues and assist tenants to manage and prepare for these changes.

If you are an MHA tenant and need support with:

Claims for Universal Credit
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Reporting a change of circumstances and making updates on your claims
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Housing benefits have been suspended, stopped or if there is a shortfall due to Non-Dependant deductions, Bedroom Tax, Benefit Cap
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Managing your debts and making payment plans
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Require budgeting support – managing your money and controlling your outgoings
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Support with switching and/or managing your utility bills
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Help to set up a new bank account and making the most of your savings
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Signpost to other support agencies – CAB, DWP, Step-change, Green Doctor, community-based provisions and health services

Or anything else affecting you because of financial difficulties, you can contact Faisal or another member of our Income team.

Please note: Advice and support is available in English, Urdu and/or Punjabi and is private and confidential.

We can sign post you to the relevant agencies who can help you with budgeting skills and provide you with money advice.

We can also support you with applying for the Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP). This is an extra payment to help tenants pay their rent. DHP is paid to tenants in addition to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit if that tenant is already receiving Housing Benefit or the housing costs element of Universal Credit.

We do advise that there is no guarantee that a DHP application will be successful, but if it is DHP is only a temporary fix to a tenants financial problem – DHP will not continue to be paid long term. Once the DHP payments stop, tenants are responsible for making the payments.

MHA also works in partnership with the Department of Work and Pension (DWP) to support customers with finding employment.

We know that getting into financial difficulty can lead to sleepless nights, but help is available if you’re struggling with debt.

As a responsible Landlord, Manningham Housing Association is committed to providing the means for all customers to access valuable services and reduce the harm that problem debt causes.

Our Association has formed a partnership with Step Change Debt Charity, who have been helping the public with their money worries for over 25 years.

Step Change offer free expert advice which is impartial and can be accessed online at www.stepchange.org

Link

or by telephone on 0800 138 1111

Alongside Step Change, we are also working in partnership with The Money Advice Service (TMAS).

TMAS provides lots of help on budgeting and managing your money. Providing help and advice on running a bank account, savings, planning your finances and cutting costs. Click on the link to find out more or to access their free online budget planning tool.

Link

Did you know, if you are unhappy with a proposed rent increase, you can refer to an independent body known as the Rent Assessment Committee.

This Committee will decide the maximum rent that we will charge for the following year. There are usually three people on the Committee: A Solicitor, Valuer and a Layperson. The Committee will meet to decide if your rent is fair based on the Government formula rent.

However, please note their decision is final and you cannot appeal against it!
If you are struggling to manage your finances through the Coronavirus pandemic, there is lots of help and advice on our Coronavirus page:

Link

You will find links to information on the following:

Job retention scheme
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Statutory Sick Pay
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ESA – New Style Employment and Support Allowance

Please note you should always inform the following bodies, if you have had a change in circumstances

Housing Benefit

If you already claiming HB, report your change of circumstances to Bradford council URGENTLY and you may get more money towards your rent

Council Tax

Report change of circumstances to Bradford council benefits department and you may qualify for extra support

Universal Credit

You will need to tell them of the change of circumstances via your online journal

There are many different benefits available to tenants, however, we do understand it can become confusing, knowing what you are eligible to apply for and what you don’t qualify for.

For information on Benefits please follow this link:

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Quick guide to the most common benefit…Universal Credit

Of course, there are other easy ways to pay your rent…

Universal Credit replaces six benefits – Housing Benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.

The new benefit is calculated and paid monthly, direct into the claimant’s bank account. Under these changes, most people living in rented accommodation will be responsible for paying their rent directly to their landlord.

Applications for UC are made online, so claimants need to have access to the internet and have an email address. Claimants for UC also need to have a valid form of I.D. and a bank account.

For more information on Universal Credit please use this link

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For instructions on how to apply please use this link

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Quick guide to the…Benefits Cap

The Benefit Cap is a limit on the total amount of work-related benefits you can get if you are of working age.

The Benefit Cap will only affect you if you’re getting Housing Benefit or Universal Credit. If the cap affects you, your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing element is reduced.

Quick Guide to the…Under Occupany / Bedroom Tax

In April 2013 the Government introduced a tax on spare bedrooms for people living in housing association properties.

The government says children of the same gender under 16 can share a bedroom

Tenants are affected if they have one spare bedroom, which will mean they will lose 14% of their rent if they have one extra bedroom

Tenants are affected if they have two or more spare bedrooms, which will mean they will lose 25% of their rent if they have two or more extra bedrooms

Benefit Check

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What is Universal Credit

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Universal Credit Helpline
0800 328 5644

Universal Credit – New Applications

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Bradford Council Housing Benefit Department
01274 43 27 72

Bradford Council – Report Change of Circumstances Online

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Bradford Council – Council Tax Reduction

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