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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

109 replies

rachybachyboo · 30/09/2021 11:53

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 ?

OP posts:
user1471538283 · 30/09/2021 13:17

I wonder if they have to just in case. So if it goes wrong it can say that it reminded you? I get reminded every month to pay for our apartment - I always have on time and the full amount. It winds me up as well.

Jarnss · 30/09/2021 13:18

Hi OP,

Next time your housing officer calls, ask her to stop sending you rent reminders and calling to remind you.

If she refuses or carries on anyway then make a formal complaint about it. Your council will have a complaints officer who you can talk to directly.

Once you ask for it to stop they have to or it's classed as harassment. They have no right to harass you over rent you don't owe at that point. In fact even if you fall into arrears they have to be reasonable, they cannot just harass you. They have to send letters and go down the formal path, which would likely involved a call to start with but they can't keep calling and calling for example. And text messages should be limited as they are not a formal form of communication anyway.

usernamealreadytaken · 30/09/2021 13:20

[quote rachybachyboo]@girlmom21 not really.
If you had a mortgage you wouldn't expect to be contacted twice a month reminding you to pay.
I'm well aware the date I get paid and I'm well aware I've told them I will pay on the 29th ...I don't need any further reminders.
[/quote]
You may get paid on the 29th and have told your council you will pay on 29th, but councils often have set payment dates and if you're not paying on their date then they will see your rent as overdue.

You can check your council's website for their payment dates. Ours are "You can choose to pay weekly, fortnightly or monthly on either 5th, 14th, 21st or 28th of each month. Or if you have arrears then you can contact us to make a payment arrangement prior to setting up a direct debit.") so if you were under our council and were paying on 29th then it's likely that you would flag every month as overdue.

MuthaFunka61 · 30/09/2021 13:25

Do you have an online account with your landlord @rachybachyboo?

With the HA I rent from you can choose which methods you'd like to be contacted via.If you have this facility you may find that phone call & text permissions are automatically applied so it's worth going online and checking your account.

I'd also be asking why you're receiving monthly phone calls and asking for the system to be explained to me so I either understood or could l negotiate the phone calls being stopped.

womaninatightspot · 30/09/2021 13:31

I know with my local council part of a housing officers job is to liase with tenants to prevent them falling into arrears. I'm sure a lot of people recieve UC and pay rent on time. It'll be a tickbox exercise they have spoken to x people who then went on to pay their bills which means they are doing a good job. Perhaps tell them you'd prefer to be contacted by letter?

MitheringMytryl · 30/09/2021 13:35

Texts wouldn't bother me, as others have said it now seems standard to get automated texts and emails reminding you about all and sundry, but phonecalls would really piss me off. Next time I would actually ask why they have starting calling to remind you, and tell them you don't want them to do it again.

IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves · 30/09/2021 13:35

Ask them

Has my rent ever been late?
No
Can I ask then why you have started phoning me twice every month?

thinkbiglittleone · 30/09/2021 13:36

Your rent must be due by a date ? What is that date?

It makes no sense to keep telling us when you have told them you will pay them, what is the due date ,

thinkbiglittleone · 30/09/2021 13:39

Maybe they are trying to hold out a hand to all of those who are going to be struggling even more if the reduction to UC goes through?

Maybe it's just their UC policy to "remind" everyone and to help push for payment.

LampLighter414 · 30/09/2021 13:42

Reality is that the changes to benefits system means that people who move to UC no longer have housing benefit element paid direct to the landlord (council) in your instance. As such I'm sure that ever since they have had far more late and missed payments than they ever dealt with before. As such probably a blanket policy for all UC claimants and they have probably found it has improved the stats and is very beneficial to the Council's cashflow.

I don't think YABU to be annoyed with calls. Have you actually tried to ask them not to bother you and tell them you are sensible with money and don't need calls to remind? They might very happily take you off the list, I can't imagine it's a fun job!

IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves · 30/09/2021 13:42

I've just thought - are you paying in advance or arrears?

In in housing association. My rent is just under £100 a week. I pay them monthly in advance so it goes from pay the month, 4 weeks credit, 3 weeks credit, 2 weeks credit, 1 weeks credit, 0 credit pay a month etc. Iyswim

Rather than owes 4 weeks, pays 4 weeks, owes 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, pays again.

HarrietsChariot · 30/09/2021 13:45

It's because you're on UC, you are more at risk of not paying your rent. You might not feel that way personally, you might be completely responsible, but statistically people on benefits are more likely to get into arrears than the general population.

As with car insurance, if you change job or move house or marry or divorce or age, your premium will change based on the statistical risk your new circumstances suggest you will be. You will still be "you" but in a different risk category.

rwalker · 30/09/2021 13:49

The problem is a lot of tenants don't pay and the council has to take step to deal . They can't single people out so everyone will get a call irrespective of payment history so people can't accused them of victimisation .

SpiderinaWingMirror · 30/09/2021 13:49

Next time she calls, challenge it.

Original poster
rachybachyboo · 30/09/2021 13:51

The rent is charged weekly to your account on a Monday.
If your claiming UC they like a monthly payment.
I get my UC on the 29th and I pay on the 29th
When I worked it was paid the 30th of each month.
It's never in arrears

OP posts:
ILoveYouMoreTheEnd · 30/09/2021 13:56

@rachybachyboo call up today and specify you don't want any calls. Advise a text reminder will suffice. Then if you are pissed off still, block her number. You can't stop reminders but you can ask to stop calls, what do you reply when she says hi it's Lisa you're rent is due today? Just say well no shit Sherlock it's due every month on the 29th and that's when I always pay it and disconnect the call. Grin

rwalker · 30/09/2021 14:05

@ILoveYouMoreTheEnd
Just say well no shit Sherlock it's due every month on the 29th

Ahh the joys of working with the general public when you are doing your job.

SmileyClare · 30/09/2021 14:07

Have the Housing element of UC paid directly to your landlord

Universal credit will not do this. Tenants have to arrange to pay it themselves out of their monthly allocation. This is a new government idea designed to teach people on welfare how to budget. More patronising nonsense

Op, I quite agree, it's annoying. My HA have a housing officer who rings me every month to remind me in a very condescending tone! Does she really think I won't pay if she doesn't ring? Confused
I've got a bloody direct debit set up.

I hope you can find employment soon. Trying to survive on Universal credit is really miserable. I've been there and its awful x

FWBNC · 30/09/2021 14:09

@Akire

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 Confused
How fucking patronising!!

But scarily I suppose it works (to some extent) or they wouldn't bother.

Sheerheight · 30/09/2021 14:09

Doesn't sound like harassment, Jarnss, it sounds like a reminder.
I get text reminders for health appointments and haircuts. After the haircut I am then asked to review it which I don't bother with.
But I don't class either as harassment.
Perhaps they would rather you set up a DD?

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 30/09/2021 14:09

Contact twice a month isn't really them being on your case all the time. It's up to them to ensure they're paid on time. People probably claim to have forgotten their payment dates all the time.

Then those are the people who need to receive regular reminders - not those who pay up promptly every month.

They prefer people on benefits to be a month ahead

They can prefer all they like, but somebody should sit them down and gently explain in simple words with few syllables that most people on benefits tend not to be especially well off and thus, for some reason, don't usually have large cash reserves to enable them to do this. I bet a huge proportion of FT-working homeowners would struggle to pay a month ahead for their mortgage payments.

Maybe they are trying to hold out a hand to all of those who are going to be struggling even more if the reduction to UC goes through?

Maybe it's just their UC policy to "remind" everyone and to help push for payment.

How is it holding out a hand or helping people who are struggling in any way by 'reminding' them that they're struggling but will still have to pay their rent regardless? Protecting their own interests ahead of people buying food or paying their other bills, more like.

That's very much from the 'weigh a pig to fatten it up' school of belief: the issue with the struggles caused by the UC uplift being removed is people actually having less money - not simply forgetting how to use the money they do have.

Elefant1 · 30/09/2021 14:10

I wonder if it is because you are new to UC. Many people go on to it having received HB before, that went straight to their landlord (some see this as not having to pay rent) so they are not used to having the money going into their account and then having to pay the rent themselves. In my job I have seen quite a few people really struggle with budgeting, especially if their UC payments are 4 weekly and their rent is paid monthly. I can see that it could be better to remind people to start with, rather than ending up having to help them sort out the mess if they have problems.
If you haven't already I would tell her next time she calls that you are used to budgeting and paying rent and will be fine without reminders.

simitra · 30/09/2021 14:13

Just block the number!

FWBNC · 30/09/2021 14:13

@rachybachyboo

It's not automated. It's either the housing officer ringing me or she texts me .
Massively annoying & Patronising. I'd reply along the lines of 'x, I have never missed a payment, please stop texting/ringing re payments, it's patronising & completely unnecessary'
StevieNix · 30/09/2021 14:14

I had the same when I was on universal Credit, I asked why and they said it was because they were used to tenants paying weekly and so as I paid monthly by direct debit the computer system didn’t like it and so it flagged that I needed a phone call reminder - despite never having arrears. Bizarre! It was only after I asked to speak to a manger as I found the phone calls a nuisance that they stopped 🤷‍♀️ I think i was just told a lot of nonsense that doesn’t particularly make sense but the phone calls did stop Grin