Thirteen rent leaflet

What if I’m worried about paying my rent and need some support?

• You can contact your housing services coordinator by calling 0300 111 1000 and they’ll be able to talk you through the support that is available, as well as let you know about other organisations that might be able to help.

• Some customers who are struggling to pay their rent or bills may be eligible for additional financial support from Thirteen to help make ends meet.

If you are struggling to pay your rent or worried about the additional cost, we are here to help, so please talk to us!

• If you’re looking for work, then have a chat with our employability team. They can support you with jobs and training or help get you back into education.

Some customers may qualify for additional grants or payments from other organisations too. We’ve included more details here.

If you struggle to access the internet, call us on 0300 111 1000 and we can support you through this too.

• National charity group Turn2Us offers a free and confidential benefits calculator that you can use to help you find out what benefits you’re entitled to claim. It’s quick and easy to use the calculator, with further help and advice on making a claim available at www.turn2us.org.uk. They also offer a useful search to help find out if you are entitled to any hardship grants in your area.

• If you receive housing benefit or the housing element of universal credit, then you may be eligible to apply for a discretionary housing payment (DHP) through your local council for financial support with housing costs. If you have internet access, you can read more here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/ claiming-discretionary-housing-payments/ claiming-discretionary-housing-payments • The DWP has launched a new web page to help people understand what support they can access through universal credit, whether they are in work, looking for work or unable to work.

Visit this website to take a look www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/ help-for-you • For customers who receive housing benefit or universal credit housing support, your entitlement will be revised to take account of the increase in your rent, so you shouldn’t have to make up the difference. Our letter in February will let you know exactly how much your rent will change by and if you need to do anything to change your payments.

What are the benefits of renting from us?

As a Thirteen customer we hope you are happy in your home. Your rent helps us provide good quality housing and support services for all the communities we serve. If you would like to find out more, check out our website at www.thirteengroup.co.uk • You benefit from a secure tenancy and the support of our dedicated housing team. Our housing services co-ordinators and Touchpoint teams are around to help – 24/7.

• You benefit from a tailored repairs service that is on hand to carry out a range of repairs in your home at times convenient to you, as well as 24/7 emergency repairs. We carried out over 18,500 emergency repairs through the pandemic.

• You benefit from continued investment in your home. Every year, we invest in our homes and in 2021 we carried out around £31m of improvements to customers’ homes, including things like new kitchens, electrical rewires, bathrooms, windows, doors and canopies. Thanks to you, this year, we’ll be doing more of the same.

• You benefit from dedicated advice on benefits and managing your money. Depending on your circumstances, it might be that you qualify for additional support and if you’re struggling or worried about paying your rent, we may be able to help!

• You benefit from support when you need it most. We can offer a helping hand to those who need it as we have specialist housing to cater for families and their needs.

• You benefit from a specialist anti-social behaviour service should you need it for those times when things just don’t feel right in your community. Our specialist team can help with things like noisy neighbours, disputes and harassment as well as work with partners like the police, fire brigade and local authority for issues outside of the control of Thirteen as your landlord.

• You benefit from options to move, including property swaps, a new rental home, shared ownership, or even buying a home outright if your circumstances change. You benefit from us making the process of finding a new home as seamless as it can be.

• You benefit from having your voice heard and having the ability to influence services. We know it’s not for everyone, but those who wish to get involved can do so through customer panels, being an involved customer and influence the way your Thirteen works for you.

Why is the rent going up?

• As an organisation, we have seen our costs rise in 2021 because of things like construction materials and kitchens, doors and windows costing more. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, we have also had to pay more for things like sanitiser, masks and protective equipment to help keep customers and colleagues safe.

• Unfortunately, because of these increased costs it is necessary to increase rent so that we can keep investing in your homes and offering our services.

• Every pound we receive in rent is reinvested into providing homes and services for customers, so this increase will mean we can do much more for our customers and in our neighbourhoods.

• Increasing rent means we can continue to deliver repairs and improvements to your homes, as well as invest in services that meet customers’ needs.

We can also build more affordable homes to rent, help customers into work with jobs and training opportunities and support projects that benefit your community.

Get in touch To find out more about getting involved, contact the customer involvement team:

0300 111 1000

customer.engagement@thirteengroup.co.uk

@Thirteen_Group

ThirteenGroup