Council on my case all the time ...aibu ?

[rachybachyboo]

I rent my home through council.
I have been a tenant for 4 years with them.
I have been employed for 3 and a bit years and currently unemployed for the past 6 months.
I receive UC

The past few months I've had constant messages from the council.
I get paid the 29th of the month and I get a message
"Hi it's Lisa ..just to let you know your rent payment needs to be paid today"

It's paid every month on time,never been in arrears.
Then middle of the month il get A phone call from housing officer reminding me my rent is due in a fortnight.
I'm sick of it
Aibu ?

It’s probably a blanket policy of the council to remind all their tenants.
I get emails every month reminding me of payments coming due. Also never been late or missed a payment.
So don’t take it personally? It is easier for them to just remind everyone than track and decide who needs a reminder and who doesn’t.

Have you spoken to them and asked them why they do this?

It’s odd if you pay on time and always have, I’d be reminding them of this.

seems odd they've got the man power to keep phoning you

Ask them why? Say "thanks for the reminders, but they are not needed?".
A text or email wouldn't bother me, but I hate phonecalls

If be pretty pissed off at being constantly reminded of something that had never been paid late.

I’d*

My bank sends me an email monthly to tell me my direct debit will go out on such a date.
The tax office email me to tell me my payment is going out on the 16th.
I don't see an issue.

YANBU but there must be many people who struggle or pay late on UC if they know “reminding” people means a higher success rate that’s what they are going to do. Mine always sends out letter in November reminding everyone not to spend December rent on Xmas presents

It's only since I've been receiving Universal Credit.
It's like they think everyone claiming this must be going to piss it up the wall and not pay the rent.

It will just be an automatic flag in the system. Quicker for them to make a call than to check the payment history of every person it flags up.

You can get the universal credit to pay your rent directly though.

It's not automated.
It's either the housing officer ringing me or she texts me .

Might just be a new policy? I've been with the same energy provider for years never missed a payment and they have started sending out reminders every month, it's on direct debit I don't even have to remember anything and yet they send out an email every month 🤷🏼‍♀️

I’m in a council house and have never been contacted ever like this

I wouldn’t care about the monthly text reminder. You know who it is, you know you’ve paid, it takes a split second to delete the notification. I wouldn’t want the reminder, but I’d understand why.

However, the phone call reminder I would find pisstakingly intrusive - and I would find out what’s triggered it and how to be removed from it.

@rachybachyboo

It's not automated. It's either the housing officer ringing me or she texts me .

Are you sure the text isn’t automated though? Just because it says it’s Lisa, doesn’t mean it isn’t automated.

If it’s a named housing officer, I’d have discussed with them why this is happening.

Next time she rings ask her. You don't have to be confrontational just ask if there has been any mix up on your paperwork

"Hi X, can I ask why you call me every month? Has there been an issue with my payments at your end?"

@rachybachyboo

It's only since I've been receiving Universal Credit. It's like they think everyone claiming this must be going to piss it up the wall and not pay the rent.

Is your anger at this more about that? Because the monthly text reminder is easily ignored - though not the phone call, as I already posted.

It doesn’t seem unlikely that the council do see a real link between non payment and UC. Not because they think UC recipients are pissing it up a wall, but because they know tighter budgets = more problems.

YABU I get weekly emails from school (actually more often) shops, NHS, dentists, doctors all sorts. It’s standard practice. I don’t take it personally when I get the weekly “top up your child’s school sinber accoubt”. They are obviously sending it because some people need reminding. (Me)

Dinner account!

@Underamour

YABU I get weekly emails from school (actually more often) shops, NHS, dentists, doctors all sorts. It’s standard practice. I don’t take it personally when I get the weekly “top up your child’s school sinber accoubt”. They are obviously sending it because some people need reminding. (Me)

Phone calls though?!

To be honest I am absolutely amazed that they have staff available to be making these calls.
In my area staff are fully engaged with trying to support through homelessness or at least deal with complaints, ASB or arrears . Maybe it's a new idea that a 30 second reminder call saves them (and you) a lot of hassle later if there are arrears .

It's their property, they are entitled to take the necessary steps to ensure they get paid.

@PlanDeRaccordement

It’s probably a blanket policy of the council to remind all their tenants. I get emails every month reminding me of payments coming due. Also never been late or missed a payment. So don’t take it personally? It is easier for them to just remind everyone than track and decide who needs a reminder and who doesn’t.

That seems odd, they must have thousands and thousands of tenants many of whom will not struggle to pay their rent on time. Seems a huge waste of resources to be contacting all of them, especially with the personalised messages and phone calls the OP seems to be receiving.

I would be very surprised if their database didn't have a way of identifying people in rent arrears or who struggled paying rent on time as it's a reason to evict someone. I would expect the council to target these messages and their resources to those people who needed that support and reminders not wasting tax payers money calling up every single one of their tenants!

@AwaAnBileYerHeid

It's their property, they are entitled to take the necessary steps to ensure they get paid.

Even in council sourced housing tenants are entitled to quiet enjoyment.

OP is a fully functioning adult with no history of missed payments.

She is entitled to ask the HO to stop the monthly calls. The reminder text is sufficient.