Paying Rent
Do you pay your rent at the Post Office? If you do, with immediate effect, there are three alternative options;
- By telephone to Guernsey Post on 01481 711720 - you will need your 11 digit reference (Telephone line open Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 5pm)
- Online at gov.gg - click the 'Pay It' tab at the top, select 'Social Housing - Rents' and enter your 11 digit reference then follow the payment instructions
- By telephone to the Cashiers on 01481 220015 - you will need your 11 digit reference (Telephone line open Monday to Friday, 8:45am - 4pm)
If you have any queries or questions, please contact your Tenancy Management Officer directly or email housingtenancy@gov.gg or by telephoning 01481 226550.
This page tells you everything you need to know about your States House Tenancy. If you live in GHA accommodation, more information is available on the GHA website.
Income Support
- Information about Income Support is available on the Income Support page.
Your tenancy
- Your rights and responsibilities as a tenant are set out in the Statutory Tenancy Agreement which you sign when you move in. You can see an agreement in the downloads section of this page.
- When you move in you'll be given a tenancy pack. It contains booklets which go into more detail about those rights and responsibilities. There are copies of them in the downloads section.
- Every tenant has a Tenancy Management Officer (TMO) who's their main point of contact. They work closely with you to make sure that your tenancy runs smoothly. You should contact your TMO if you want to talk about:
- Your rent
- Your tenancy agreement
- Rules, policies and procedures relating to your tenancy
- Reporting nuisance or antisocial behaviour
Paying rent
- Rent is usually paid on a weekly or monthly basis. It has to be paid in advance - so you have to pay your weekly rent before we charge you. If you don't you'll go into arrears.
- If you have any problems paying your rent you should contact your TMO who can offer help and advice. It is important that you let us know straight away. If you go into rent arrears, you run the risk of losing your home. You can find more information about paying your rent in the Payment of Rent leaflet available in the downloads section.
- Paying by Direct Debit
- All tenants should be paying by Direct Debit. It's the best system for both you and us.
- Automatic payments mean you don't have to worry about forgetting to pay and getting into arrears.
- Direct Debit is a really simple way of paying your rent. You might already be paying other bills in this way - it's safe and easy.
- You can choose to pay by weekly or monthly Direct Debit.
- To start paying by Direct Debit, download a Direct Debit Mandate Form from this page and send it to Housing. This form tells your bank to send us your rent money on a certain date every week or every month. As long as you have enough in your account to cover the cost of your rent, there's no way you can get into arrears.
- If your rent changes, we'll change your Direct Debit. Don't worry - we'll tell you about the new rent and give you at least 3 working days' notice before we take payment. That gives you time to move money or talk to us if you need to.
- Paying at Edward T Wheadon House
- If you are unable to pay by Direct Debit, payments can be made by cash, cheque or debit card at the counter on Level 3 at Edward T Wheadon House. You'll need your rent account number and details of how much to pay. If you don't know those details, your TMO can give them to you by calling Tenancy Management on 226550. You can also make payments over the phone using your debit card by calling 220015.
- Paying directly from Income Support
- You can have your rent paid directly to us as long as your benefit payment is at least as much as your rent.
- If your benefit changes week to week, and some weeks your payment isn't enough to cover your rent, this method won't work for you.
- If you'd like to pay this way, download the form on this page and send it to us. It gives us permission to get your rent from Social Security and discuss any changes with them.
- Paying online
- You can pay online.
- You'll need your rent account number and details of how much to pay. Your TMO can give you this information if you need it.
- Paying directly from your wages
- If your employer agrees, you can set up an Employer Mandate, where your rent is paid straight to us from your salary.
- You need to write to us to set this up, and to give us permission to be able to talk to your employer about your rent.
- Paying at the Post Office
- You can pay at a Post Office payment counter. You'll need your rent account number, and details of how much to pay. Your TMO can give you this information if you need it.
Rent Rebate Benefit Scheme
- Rent Rebate has now ended and has been replaced with Income Support.
Transfers
- A transfer is when a tenant asks to be moved to another social rented housing unit. It is not a house swap: they're asking to move to an empty property. You can download the Transfer and Exchange Policy from this page
- We will consider transferring you if:
- You continue to be eligible for social housing
- The size of property you want is not too large or small
- You haven't been in rent arrears for at least six months
- You have not breached your tenancy agreement during the previous twelve months;
- The property you are living in passes an inspection. The inspection will tell us if you have looked after the property and if any significant work is needed
- There are other conditions, but these are the main ones.
- You will be removed from the transfer list if you don't pay your rent on time or if you do anything that breaks your tenancy agreement.
- We prioritise transfer applications in the same way we do regular applications for social housing, by using a points system. Priority is based on housing need. If your current home has what you need but you want to move to a new area, you may be waiting for some time.
Anti-Social Behaviour
- Everyone has the right to live in an area that is clean, safe and pleasant. And everyone should respect and show consideration for their neighbours.
- If you are concerned about nuisance or harassment, the Living in your Neighbourhood booklet in the downloads section of this page will tell you what to do.
Pets
- The Pet Policy and a list of acceptable dog breeds is available on the download section on this page.
- You should speak to us before you get any pet. This is because we have agreed with animal welfare organisations that we will make sure that a tenant is able to afford and look after a pet.
- You need to get permission in writing before getting a cat or dog, and some dog breeds are banned, and a local animal welfare agency will carry out a home check.
- Cats and dogs must be neutered, micro chipped, registered with a vet, and insured.
- The breeding of animals is banned.
- To apply for a pet, download of the application form on this page.
Reviews of Tenancy
- You have to tell us about any change to your circumstances which might affect the rent you're charged or your eligibility for social rented housing.
- At least once every five years, we'll check to make sure that the information we have about you is right. If something's changed and you haven't told us, you could be prosecuted and it could affect your tenancy.
- If you disagree with our decision you can ask for it to be reviewed by another member of staff. After that, if you still disagree, you can appeal.
Change of circumstances
- You have to tell us about any change to your circumstances which might affect the rent you're charged or your eligibility for social rented housing.
- That might include people moving into or out of the property, a change in your salary, or a difference in the needs of the household. Contact us straight away to let us know. If you don't, and we find out later, you could be prosecuted.
- If you come into a large amount of money, Housing will apply the Capital Sums Policy. You can see that policy in the Downloads section of this page.
