Our rents are set to cover the cost of maintaining and managing our homes, together with any loans needed to build them.
We set our rents so they are as affordable to as many people as possible. When you become an ASRA tenant, the rent you pay is shown in your tenancy agreement.
Our rents are reviewed each year and are being gradually adjusted until we meet targets set by the Housing Corporation.
We will always write to you confirming details of any change.
Your rent is due in advance each week, and must not be paid in arrears.
Service charges
Service charges are paid by people living in properties with communal facilities or common services. For tenants, they are included in the rent (though shown separately).
The amount of service charge depends on the level of communal services provided. Most service charges are reviewed at the same time as rents. If they increase we’ll write to you a month in advance giving our reasons and allowing you the opportunity to comment on any proposed change.
Paying your Rent
It is important to keep up-to-date with your rent payments, which is why we’ve made paying your rent as easy as possible.
You can pay in any of the following ways:
- By standing order or direct debit through your bank or building society
- At any post office, using your rent card or rent payment book
- By housing benefit direct payment – when claiming housing benefit you can ask it to be paid to us. If your benefit is less than the full rent, you need to pay the difference
- By posting a cheque or postal order (made payable to ASRA Greater London Housing Association) to our office, writing your tenancy number clearly on the back and enclosing your address
- In cash, in person (not by post) at our office
Our friendly and experienced team can help you with anything to do with your rent, from benefits advice to budgeting – and will arrange to visit you in your home if you can’t get to our office easily.
Please remember that if you do not pay your rent regularly, you risk losing your home.
Check your Rent Statement
Each time you make a payment you’ll be given a receipt (unless paying through your bank).
We’ll send you a rent statement regularly. You can also ask at your post office for a mini-statement at any time.
Keeping up with your rent
Rent is the main source of income to pay for the services we provide to you, so it is very important you pay your rent on time.
If a tenant stops paying rent, we will act quickly, in our own interests and in the interest of other tenants.
We will contact you early on to remind you about any unpaid rent. If you do not pay, we may start legal action by serving a notice on you.
If you still don’t pay, we will apply to the County Court and you could lose your home.
We don’t want that to happen, so if you have trouble paying your rent, please contact us as soon as possible. We’ll give you advice or tell you where you can get further help.