Rent and Water Charges
Rent
As a tenant of the Council, you are charged a weekly rent for your home. The rent you pay covers the cost of providing you with your home as well as housing services including repairs, planned maintenance and estate management.
Water Charges
The Council collects water charges on behalf of Welsh Water. You can pay this charge at the same time as your rent.
Please remember Housing Benefit does not cover water charges. It is your responsibility to pay the full weekly water charge yourself no assistance is available.
Paying Rent and Water Charges
There are a number of payment methods available to pay your rent & water charges:-
- To a Housing Assistant who will arrange to call at your home on a set day and time each week.
- By Direct Debit.
- At the Cash Offices at the Civic Centres in Neath or Port Talbot or the One Stop Shop in Pontardawe.
- By post by sending a cheque or postal order to our offices together with your payment cards which will be marked with your payments and returned to you.
N.B. Do not send any cash
Cheques should be crossed and made payable to Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and you need to write your name, address and reference number on the back.
- Deductions direct from wages if you work for the Council.
- Internet - if you have a debit card, click here to make an internet payment.
- By Phone - you can use your debit card to pay by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 0161 622 6919.
Housing Benefit
If you are on low income you may be eligible to receive help from housing benefit in paying your weekly rent. You must make a claim by completing a Housing Benefit Form and providing all the information that is requested. Do not delay submitting a claim for assistance as it may not be possible to backdate a claim.
If you are eligible for Housing Benefit, it will be paid directly to us. However, if your benefit does not cover the full amount of rent you must make payments to cover the remaining amount and make an arrangement to pay any arrears you may owe.
Rent Arrears
If you fall behind with your payments you should contact us as soon as possible to discuss your circumstances / situation.
We can offer you advice and it is usually possible to agree a repayment plan for you to reduce your arrears over a reasonable period, thus avoiding costly court action. If you think you should be entitled to more benefits, we can arrange for you to discuss your situation with a specialist Welfare Rights Officer, an appointment could be made for you at one of the area offices or at your own home. You can also contact the Citizen's Advice Bureau they will also provide you with financial advice.
All of the above services are FREE so do not put off seeking their advice and assistance.
Do not ignore any letters we send you in relation to rent and or water charge arrears. There are serious consequences if you do not pay what you owe. Non payment could result in you losing your home.