Your rent is due on a Monday, a week in advance. If you pay by standing order, please allow four working days for payment to reach us. You can also pay monthly but you must pay in advance for the month to come.

There are 4 rent free weeks every year.

For 2025/26, these weeks are:

• 26 May 2025
• 25 August 2025
• 22 December 2025
• 30 March 2026

If you are behind in your rent payments (have rent arrears), we expect you to continue to pay on these dates to reduce them.

Yes! Always remember to ask for help as soon as possible. We are here to help and will make every effort to set up a repayment plan based on your individual circumstances.

Contact our income officers on 0800 408 0000.

We regularly check your rent account to see if a refund is due. We check to see if you are at least a week in credit – this is because your tenancy agreement states that you must pay one weeks rent in advance.

If your account shows more than one week in credit, depending on your regular payment method, we will consider issuing you with a refund.

If you fall into rent arrears and do not contact us to arrange a payment, your income officer will contact you. They will be able to provide you with advice on your next steps. If your arrears continue to grow, this may result in us serving you with a:

• Notice of Seeking Possession (if you are a secure tenant)
• Notice to Quit (if you are a non-secure tenant) or
• Notice of Possession Proceedings (if you are an introductory tenant)

These allow for a 28 day period in which to either pay us any outstanding amount owed or make a suitable arrangement to do so. If this is not complied with we will apply to the County Court for a Possession Order.

This means that you could lose your home if you do not pay us the money you owe at the rate the court decides.

If you stick to your repayment plan, you will not be evicted. If you break your repayment promise, we can apply to the County Court or a warrant to evict you from your home. If we take legal action because you owe rent arrears you will have to pay the court costs as well as pay back the arrears.

We will only do this if every effort to help you has failed. You have the right to appeal against this decision. If you are evicted for non-payment of rent we do not have to re-house you.

If you have been evicted or leave the property and still owe rent, the debt is classified as former tenant arrears. To pay off your arrears you MUST contact us and we will help you set up an affordable repayment plan.

Please be aware if you owe Cheltenham Borough Council money, your chances of being re-housed by them and other social landlords will be at risk and you may face County Court action for non-payment. This could result in a County Court Judgement (CCJ) being made against you which will adversely affect your credit rating.

If you have a questions about your rent, contact us:
0800 408 0000 |  income.team@cheltenham.gov.uk