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 ?

You really do need to follow your own script every time they call.

Is this account in arrears?
No
Has this account ever been in arrears?
No
Why do you keep calling me?

Every single time.
They are giving you the same call, you make them answer the same questions.

I'm on UC and get half my rent paid with the housing element.
UC pay it straight to my HA. I'm not vulnerable and I don't have learning difficulties or special circumstances they've just done it since the beginning of my claim.
I pay my half on the day I get my UC. I have never had a reminder from my HA and it would get on my nerves too OP if they kept calling me to remind me!

why would the council have your phone number anyway? if on a mobile you can block them and put a stop to it, although they may start sending letters by which time your rent will have been paid anyway

why would the council have your phone number anyway? if on a mobile you can block them and put a stop to it, although they may start sending letters by which time your rent will have been paid anyway

I think it probably is automated, with all their clients I doubt they have time to check if everyone has paid. I remember watching a tv program on UC about some people having problems managing their money, so it maybe a response to that. If it upsets you ring them.

Have you changed the date that you pay your rent. When I changed jobs I had to change rent day to fall on new payday. I go reminder messages. In the end I called up and asked them to make a note on my account of new rent day, and to let me know if any arrears had accrued by changing dates so I could pay that too.

Also, do you pay by direct debit or login and pay?

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.

I think you might just be on to something significant there. Undoubtedly, they'll be correlating the two and marking it down as a successful strategy.

It reminds me of the old joke about the man who would walk up and down his cul-de-sac every morning spreading 'anti-elephant powder' along the length of the road. Every time people told him he was crazy and wasting his time, he insisted that, as no wild elephants had run along the road ever since he started spreading the powder, this was 'categorical scientific proof' that his procedure was 100% effective

Haha yes SausageRoll

It's tempting to ask the remindee what would happen if they stopped? Is their call the reason I pay on time?! Or is it because this is my home and I don't want to lose it..

However the poor guy is probably just reading off a computer screen for minimum wage and has perhaps forgotten there's a real person at the other end of the phone.

YANBU I’ve never heard of this and I’ve rented for quite a few years. Sounds a bit like harassment and not sure why they feel it’s ok to go this. Can you have a polite word asking them why you get these messages/ texts ?