Financial Support
As soon as you start to experience money worries and have difficulty with your rent, please contact our Income Team straight away on 01283 528 528.
With the price of everyday essentials rising, we're all feeling the ongoing effects of the changing cost-of-living. We're working hard to provide financial support and additional services wherever possible as part of our duty to be a good landlord.
If you need us, we can:
- Support you in managing your rent by providing information about benefits, and in some cases, support you in making benefit claims.
- support you in setting up and maintaining your tenancy and preventing evictions.
- support you in building independent living skills.
- work with internal teams and external agencies to provide overall support.
- reduce the negative social, emotional and financial impact of failed tenancies on customers, their families, the wider community and Trent & Dove.
How we can help
Maximising your income
- Budgeting support
- Support with debt
- Support with setting up household bills for those unable to do so themselves
- Complete a benefit check
- Support customers to complete benefit forms
- Support with benefit appeals
Debt Advice
- Assist with low level debt to set up affordable payment plans.
- Signpost you to relevant support via external agencies/services depending on the level of the debt, such as:
Charity Grants
Support and advise on the application process and eligibility for relevant charities.
The most common charity we apply to on behalf of customers is the Consolidated Charity of Burton upon Trent.
Their grants can help with the purchase of essential household items and furniture.
Benefits calculator
Are you claiming all benefits you are entitled to? You can check your benefit entitlements, using this official calculator provided by Entitled to.
Before you start, you'll need accurate information about your:
- Savings.
- Income, including your partner's (from pay slips, for example).
- Existing benefits and pensions (including anyone living with you).
- Outgoings (such as rent, mortgage, childcare payments).
- Council Tax bill.
You cannot use the calculators if you're under 18, and they will not give accurate results if you are:
- A student.
- In prison.
- Not a British or Irish citizen.
- On strike.
- Living outside the UK.
- Living permanently in residential care or a nursing home.
What you can do
- Maintain communication with us. There is often support available that needs a referral – we can do this.
- List your income and outgoings and note how often they are paid.
- Gather your bills in one place – it helps with paying them on time.
- Don’t borrow money from door-to-door or payday lenders, as it can make the problem worse.
- Paying small amounts to your rent account now will help prevent you from getting into arrears if your circumstances change.
- You may be able to get additional income from a lodger but remember to check with your Housing Officer first to ensure your tenancy agreement allows this. It may also affect your benefits, and you should get advice before your lodger moves in.
- In some circumstances you may be able to apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) to increase your Housing Benefit entitlement. DHP is paid by the local authority and can be awarded for up to 13 weeks. You can apply again when your award is due to end. This is usually awarded where there might be under occupancy, this means where there are spare bedrooms in the property. Applications for DHP are not guaranteed, they are discretionary and cannot be relied upon.