Flintshire County Council owns and manages approximately 7,500 properties and 1,750 garages. These are mainly concentrated in estates with a mixture of houses, flats and bungalows with more being built each year, There are also some sheltered schemes for older people. When you sign a tenancy agreement for a council property you are signing on the agreement that you make regular payments in regards to your rent. 

Rent is always added to the rent account on a Monday 

You will be issued with a Tenancy Charge letter when you commence a contract and every April thereafter with a breakdown of rent and other charges. You can request a replacement tenancy charge letter by visiting your local connects centre or by contacting income advisor
Tel: 01352 703838.
A statement of your rent account will be sent to you every 3 months and on request, showing an up to date account balance. 

Each year the rent is reviewed for all council contract holders. The rent you pay is used to pay for the services to maintain your home, carry out repairs and undertake property improvements as part of the Council's priority to modernise council homes.

The way in which the council calculate rent increases is determined by a Welsh Government formula. You will receive written notification at least two months prior to a change in your basic rent taking affect. 

The council operates two non- collection weeks which is shown on  your charge letter. If you are behind with your rent or other changes the non- collection weeks do not apply and you must pay any rent or other charges during these weeks. 

The council have a dedicated Income team which is responsible for the collection of outstanding rent arrears owed to the council. You may receive a call from your income officer to introduce themselves and confirm your method of payment. We ask that is you have any issues with paying your rent that you contact your income officer as soon as possible to make arrangements and any support you may need. To find out who your income officer is, their name and contact details can be found on your tenancy charge letter or contact an income advisor

Tel: Income Advisor- 01352 703838.

If you are a joint contract holder ( more than one person signed the contract) you are jointly responsible for all rent or other charges owed to the council. 

Should you find yourself in rent arrears it is important that you contact us as soon as possible or when you receive your first letter from ourselves or further action may be taken if your arrears become unsatisfactory. 

If you wish to terminate your contract, you are required to complete a termination form which can be collected from your local connects centre, printing of our Termination form or by contacting your housing officer which will send one via email or post. 

When you accept a tenancy with a council property you will be issued with a contract agreement, the contract agreement sets out both your obligations as a contract holder and those of Flintshire County Council as a landlord. This agreement is a legally binding contract between yourself and Flintshire County Council.   

Rent and other Charges  

Your rent is used to pay for the housing services you receive. It is important that everyone pays their rent regularly and on time so that so that we can afford to provide high quality services. This section tells you about your obligations to pay your rent. 

Our Obligations:

 1. If we collect the gas charge, electricity charge, tenancy support charges, septic tank charge, contents insurance, or the concessionary TV licence and other services as part of your total rent we will pay them to the appropriate organisations. 

2. We will give you at least 8 weeks notice in writing if we increase or decrease the rent.

3. We may increase or decrease other changes which are included in the rent with less notice than four weeks. 

4. You will be told in writing at least one week before any change to these charges. 

5. We will provide you with an up to date rent statement four times a year and when ever you ask for one. 

6. You may also be required to pay service charges. These are charges which are not covered by rent. Examples of services that may be covered are cleaning of communal areas, gardening and other services in communal areas. If there is a service charge it will be identified clearly on the tenancy details form. 

Your Obligations 

1. You must pay your rent and any other charges regularly and on time, Rent is due weekly in advance on a Monday. 

2. Your rent may include charges for gas, electricity, septic tank, contents insurance, or the concessionary TV licence and other service, if it does not you must pay for them directly. 

3. You agree that, if support services are included as a condition of occupancy, you will accept, pay for and make use of the agreed support services provided by us on your behalf. 

4. You must pay any rent arrears due in accordance with any agreement entered into with us. This also applies to any arrears accrued from a previous tenancy you have held with us. 

There are several ways to pay your rent. 

Direct Debit

Direct Debit is the most convenient way to pay and the majority of our tenants choose to pay by this method.

We offer a choice of payment dates, which are:

• Monthly on the 2nd or 15th;
• Weekly on a Monday.

Setting up a Direct Debit could not be easier and changing to this method of payment can be done simply by submitting our online Direct Debit Form.

Click here to set up

If you have any further questions regarding setting up a Direct Debit, please call the Housing Rent team on 01352 703838.

Pay Online
You can Pay Online with most credit and debit cards.

Internet/Telephone Banking
Alternatively you can pay by standing order or Internet banking through your bank.  Simply quote the councils bank details - Sort Code: 54-10-10, Account: 72521775 together with your tenancy reference number as shown on your Tenancy Charge Letter. 

Flintshire Connects Offices
We welcome payment by cash and most credit or debit cards. Please take your tenancy charge letter with you when you make your payment and you will be given a receipt.  For information regarding opening times and addresses please follow the link Flintshire Connects 

 The council operates a scheme of offering two non- payment weeks of rent and for 2023/24 these will be on the week commencing 25th December 2023 and 25th March 2024. If your rent account is in arrears it is important that you continue to make payment even during these two non-collection weeks. 

Payments must still be made if your account is in arrears during these non- collection periods.  

 If you are entitled to housing benefit please make a claim as soon as possible and inform your income officer that you have done so as this may impact on your arrears during this period. 

Housing benefits/Housing costs do not cover heating, insurance, some alarm charges or garage rent, these must be paid by yourself. Failure to meet your rent may impact on any insurances you have with the council and therefore void any insurance your have with Flintshire county council. 

Changes in your circumstances.

If you have a changes in your circumstances, you must contact housing benefits as soon as possible as this will affect the amount of assistance your receive towards your rent and may include and overpayment. If in doubt, contact housing benefit 01352 704848 or www.flintshire.gov.uk/Benefits

 The benefit system is changing and many benefits have been phased out and replaced by Universal Credit. Universal Credit changes - www.gov.uk/Universal Credit.

Housing benefit is currently paid direct to your rent account whereas Universal credit including housing costs will be paid direct to your bank account. It is your responsibility to pay the housing cost element to your rent account. You can make payments online via our online payment system. 

More information about Universal Credit is available at www.gov.uk.co.uk/universalcredit/overview

 THE COUNCIL HAVE NO LEGAL DUTY TO ASSIST YOU IF YOU BECOME HOMELESS DUE TO RENT ARREARS. 

Notice RHW23:

Serving a notice is the first step of the council's legal action to repossess your home.

Following the notice, you have 28 days to make an arrangement for repaying the arrears. The notice is valid for a 6 month period, the council can apply anytime with the 6 month period to the county court for an order to evict your from your home. 

If you pay your rent in full during the 6 month period the notice will no longer exist. 

Court Hearing

A court hearing is the second stage of the legal process. You will be notified in writing from the council informing you of the date of the court hearing. It is important you attend as it is your opportunity to discuss the reason for non-payment with the judge. 

The council will ask for a possession order to evict you from your home. However, the court may decide to postpone or suspend the order if you keep to the terms of the order and you will be allowed to remain in your home. You will be required to pay the court costs. 

Eviction

If the court order is not kept the council will apply for a warrant to evict you from your home. Following an eviction you will still be liable for the rent arrears and court costs. 

If you require any help and support during this time please contact your income officer as soon as possible who can direct you to the support you require.  

 Debt Advice

Being in debt can be stressful and scary and support may be required to help you control any debt issues you may have, There are many options and support for debt advice,

Citizens Advice Flintshire- www.flintshirecab.org 
Tel: 0808 278 7923
Alternatively you can ask your income officer to refer you for support. 

Shelter Cymru- www.sheltercymru.org.uk

Budgeting

Credit unions offer a convenient way to save and the opportunity to access low cost loans and a range of other benefits.

 If you wish to speak to us about any rent enquiries you may contact your income officer which can be found on your rent statement. 

Tel: 01352 703838
Email: Rents@Flintshire.gov.uk

 Your personal information will be held and used in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 for the purpose of administering Rent. 

We may lawfully disclose information to other public sector agencies to prevent or detect benefit fraud, other crimes and to protect public funds. 

We may also use rents information about you to help you access our services more easily, promote the more efficient delivery of services or help us to recover money owed. 

You may need to contact us for any number of reasons e.g you are moving, you want more information or you want to make a payment.