Pay my Rent and Service Charges

As a not-for-profit organisation, we use rent and service charge payments to carry out maintenance, repairs and improvements to the homes we manage, and to help us to continue to provide a good quality service.

Rent

Here's some useful information to help you with paying rent on time:

Rent is due on each Monday or the 1st of the month (depends whether you pay weekly or monthly).
Your rent statement should never show in arrears if your rent is paid on time.
If you are in arrears, you will be asked to increase your current payments until you eventually pay ‘on time

Your tenancy agreement states that rent must be paid weekly in advance. We don’t insist on you paying weekly and are happy for you to pay in the method that is best for you, but you must make sure your rent account never falls into arrears between payments. If you pay monthly, your account should be a month in credit when you make your payment, if you pay weekly it should be a week in credit, and so on.

If you get behind on your rent, our Income Services Team will get in touch with you.

Service charges

A service charge is an amount that you pay towards the costs of providing and maintaining services to your home.
Service charges pay for things like:

cleaning, lighting and maintenance of communal areas like stairwells and hallways
grounds maintenance including gardening, litter picking, tree management
hot water and heating in communal areas
entry systems, lifts and rubbish chutes in a block of flats
caretakers, wardens and emergency alarm systems
buildings insurance and management fees

Leeds Federated uses variable service charges, which are based on the actual cost of the services provided. An estimate of charges is provided at the beginning of each financial year and, after the end of the year, is balanced against the actual costs.

Any difference between the amount charged and the actual cost of providing the services can be carried forward into the next year’s charges.

You will find all your charges, including your new rent, explained in your rent review letter that we send to you every March.

If you live in one of our sheltered schemes, it is likely you receive more services than someone who lives in their own rented home. This means your service charges are likely to be higher.

For more information about service charges please see our rent and service charge FAQs

If you have outstanding issues with Housing Benefit or DWP you will be expected to resolve these by speaking to them directly
To engage with us where required to help resolve any outstanding issues and keep us informed of any changes/updates

Use our free, confidential Benefit Calculator to check you are claiming everything you are entitled to or how your current benefits may be affected if you have a change in your circumstances.

How we contact you

Help us to help you- the more you engage with us the more we can help you
If we need to contact you we will do this by email, text message or letters in the post when we feel there is a need to
If we need to see you in person we may ask you to attend an appointment at our office or make an appointment to visit you at your home. There are times we will do unannounced visits to your property

If you are having difficulty paying your rent, please let us know as soon as possible. Call us on 0113 3861000 or email the Income Team at income@lfha.co.uk

We will discuss your arrears and any other matters that may be contributing and if you cannot clear your arrears in full, we will expect you to make an affordable repayment agreement to clear your arrears. We can also refer you to our Money Matters Team for in-depth confidential and impartial advice.

It's important to work with us to find a way forward, so please do not ignore letters, text messages or telephone calls about your rent account. If you don't work with us to pay the money back, we will take legal action which could result in you being evicted from your home.

Refunds of credit balances

If your account is in credit we will only refund it if it means your account will not show in arrears.

Paying your rent

Paying your rent is simple and flexible. We have a number of easy ways for you to pay your rent meaning you can choose a solution that works for you.

Direct Debit: Setting up a direct debit means your rent will be paid automatically on a regular basis, so you don't have to worry about missing a payment. To set up a direct debit call 0113 386 1000

Credit/ Debit card: You can pay your rent with a credit or debit card and can even set up a recurring card payment. There are two easy ways to do this; online through our website using Allpay or by calling 0113 386 1000

Payment card: You can pay your rent at Post Offices and local shops who are part of the PayPoint scheme with a Leeds Federated payment card. Call 0113 386 1000 to request a card.

Standing order: You can also pay your rent by setting up a standing order. Our account details are: Account Number:11680280, Sort Code:05-00-75. Please call 0113 386 1000 for your account reference number.

You can also use allpay:

What is allpay?
allpay is a payment system used by lots of housing associations and their residents to pay their rent.

Why use allpay?

It's flexible
Pay at any time — online, by telephone, at the Post Office, anywhere with the PayPoint logo or with the mobile app.

It's convenient
You can track payments and update your details.
allpay is certified by Mastercard and Visa.

How to open an allpay account
Go to the allpay website. You'll need your Payment Reference Number (the 19-digit number on your rent card), and a credit or debit card.

Why not pay using the allpay app?
The allpay App is a FREE mobile application (App) available to download for your Apple or Android smartphone that enables you to pay your bills quickly and easily at the touch of a button. Simply download the allpay app from the Apple App Store or Google play or scan the QR codes here using your smartphone and start making payments the smart way.

Apple App Store Google Play

Go to the allpay website

Problems with your allpay account?
Please contact allpay:
Telephone: 0844 225 5729
Email: enquiries@allpay.net
Web: allpay frequently asked questions

You can check your rent balance on My Account which gives you access to information about your tenancy 24/7.

For info about rent statements and more see our rent and service charges FAQs