a) Moving in

When you move to a new home there are a lot of things you must remember to do. In this part we have listed some things you may need to arrange now if you haven’t already done so.

• Tell the gas, electricity and water companies when you are moving in and arrange for supplies to be connected.Take meter readings ready for when you call. (The gas company needs two days’ notice to connect your supply.)

To find out who currently supplies electricity and gas to the property you are moving into, phone:

• 0870 905 0806 (electricity supplies)
• 0870 608 1524 (gas supplies)

Thames Water provide the water supply. Their number is 0845 920 0888.

• Make sure a CORGI-registered tradesman installs any gas appliances in the home.
• Arrange for a phone company of your choice to take over or install a phone line. Please tell us your new phone number.
• Tell your doctor and dentist about your change of address.
• If you receive any benefits, tell the appropriate office about your change of address.You may have to tell them if there are any changes in the amount of rent you pay.
• Tell the Council Tax section about your change of address.
• If we do not supply a TV aerial with the home, arrange for this with an aerial or satellite installer. If you intend to install a TV aerial or satellite dish, you may need our permission. See section 5k (Home improvements).
• Or you may be able to arrange for a company to install cable television.
• If you live in sheltered housing, flats or within the Railway Village, we provide TV reception with the property.
• Contact TV Licensing to get a TV licence or transfer your existing TV licence to your new address.

You can tell TV Licensing about a change of address by contacting them at:

The Address Management Centre
Television Licensing
Barton House
Bristol
BS98 1TL.

Phone: 0870 524 6246

• If you want to redirect your post to your new home, you can arrange this at any main post office.

b) Keys

Before you moved in, we changed all the main locks to the property and gave you the keys. We do not keep copies of the keys to your property. If you want an extra key cut, you may need written permission from the Housing Reception.

You are responsible for replacing any keys that you lose. If your keys are stolen, we will replace the locks and provide new keys, free of charge, but you must first report the theft to the police and give us the crime number they give you. See section 5e about reporting emergency repairs.

c) Paying the rent

Your rent is due every Monday (except during the rent-free week), but you can pay it every two weeks.

When you signed for your tenancy agreement, we gave you a rent information card, which shows:

• your rent account number;
• the amount of rent due;
• the rent week numbers; and
• the dates rent must be paid.

You should use the rent information card to keep track of your payments. You can pay your rent at the Civic Offices, at any post office, by post, over the internet, by a secure telephone payments system, direct debit, or by standing order from your bank account. You can get more details from your neighbourhood housing officer.

Paying at Swindon Direct, Civic Offices

If you want to pay your rent at Swindon Direct, the address is:

Swindon Borough Council
Wat Tyler House West
Beckhampton Street
Swindon
SN1 2JH.

The office is open Monday to Wednesday and Friday between 8am and 6.00pm. On Thursday's it is open from 8am - 8pm. On Saturday's it is open from 9am - 1pm. You will need to tell the staff there your rent account number.

At Swindon Direct you can pay by cash, cheque, debit card or credit card. You will get a receipt, which will show details of your payment and any amount due or any payment you have made to cover a future period.

Paying at a post office

About two weeks after you sign your tenancy agreement you will receive a rent payment card. You can use this to pay at any post office by cash or cheque made payable to ‘Post Office Counters’.

Paying over the internet

You can pay via our website ( www.swindon.gov.uk ).  Just click on ‘payments’.

Paying by phone

Phone payments by debit or credit cards 24 hour number on 0845 6035058

Paying by post

If you want to pay by post, send a cheque, made

payable to 'Swindon Borough Council', to:

Housing
Swindon Borough Council
Civic Offices
Euclid Street
Swindon
SN1 2JH.

Please write your address and rent account number on the back of the cheque, and remember to sign and date it.

Do not send cash through the post.

Direct debit payments

You can set up a direct debit to pay your rent direct from your bank account. You will need to fill in a form that you can get from:

• your neighbourhood housing officer or housing administrative assistant on 01793 445503, or
• Swindon Direct on the ground floor of Wat Tyler House.

If you are a council employee you can arrange for your rent to be paid from your salary. Contact your neighbourhood housing officer for more information.

Further information on paying your rent can be downloaded: Paying Your Rent (148Kb PDF)

d) Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit

Housing Benefit helps those with low incomes, or no income, to pay their rent. Council Tax Benefit helps those on low incomes to pay their Council Tax bills.

If you think you are entitled to Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit, make sure you claim it as soon as possible because claims cannot be backdated.

If you are a new tenant, you must make your claim from the start of your tenancy or your first week’s rent may not be covered.

When you claim, make sure you have details of your rent, proof of your income, and details of any benefits you receive.

To apply for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit, phone 0845 850 0962 (charged at local rate).

They can send you an application form and answer any questions you have.

In exceptional circumstances, they can arrange to visit your home to help you fill in the application form.

You can also get a copy of the form from Customer Services or the housing reception desk on the ground floor at Wat Tyler House West.

e) Difficulty paying your rent?

If you are having difficulty paying your rent or you think you will get into difficulty, get in touch with your neighbourhood housing officer as soon as possible. He or she will be able to give you help and also refer you to a debt advice service.

For confidential financial advice contact the following:

• Parks Advice Point
  50 Cavendish Square
  Park North
  Swindon
  SN3 2LR
  Phone: 01793 487934

• Citizens Advice Bureau
  Faringdon House
  1 Faringdon Road
  Swindon
  SN1 AR
  Phone: 0844 4994114

• Millen Advice Point
  55 Manchester Road
  Swindon
  SN1 2AQ
  Phone: 01793 612345

• Wiltshire Law Centre
  Temple House
  115-118 Commercial Road
  Swindon
  SN1 5PL
  Phone: 01793 486926

f) The charges that make up the rent

Your basic rent is now based on the following government formula:

• 30% of the rent is based on relative property values, which reflect the size, condition and location of the property.
• 70% of the rent is based on relative local earnings.
• A ‘bedroom’ factor is applied so that smaller properties should have lower rents.

The Government believes that this system, which also applies to housing-association tenants, will be fairer for all tenants. There will be a closer link between the rents and the qualities which tenants value in their home, and the differences in rents set by councils and housing associations should be removed. The Government expects rent restructuring to take place over a 10-year period. This is to make sure that tenants whose properties attract large increases under the new system will be protected, and their rents increased gradually over this period.

Some properties have other charges to pay for other services.

• Multi-storey flats – tenants living in multi-storey flats are charged for caretaking and shared services (for example, a lift and lighting).
• Staircase lighting – tenants living in other flats are charged for lighting on the landings and stairs.
• Parking – homes with a driveway are charged for a parking space in the garden.
• Garages – there is a separate weekly charge for garages not attached to your home.
• Cable TV – there is a charge for those homes that we provide this service for.
• Sheltered housing – if you live in a sheltered-housing scheme, you will be charged for the shared facilities such as the laundry and lounge.
• Supporting People charges – residents receiving the services of a sheltered-housing warden, community alarm (Homeline) or semi-warden will be charged for the staff and support that these services provide.
• Heating – covers costs of schemes with shared heating systems.
• Water – most tenants will pay charges direct to Thames Water. In some schemes (that is flats and sheltered housing), we will collect this charge.

g) Decorating your home

You are responsible for decorating the inside of your home.

We may give you a ‘paint allowance’ voucher when you move into your new home. You then exchange this voucher for paint from our stores department.  The amount of paint we provide depends on the size of the property and the amount of work we did when the property was empty.

You must exchange your ‘paint allowance’ voucher by the date shown, at our stores department at:

Swindon Commercial Services
Swindon Borough Council
Waterside
Darby Close
Cheney Manor Industrial Estate
Swindon
SN2 2PN

The stores are open from 9am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4.30pm, Monday to Thursday, and from 9am to 12pm on Fridays.

In exceptional circumstances, we can deliver the paint to you. To arrange this, you must phone your neighbourhood housing officer on 01793 464811.

We will only deliver paint to the person named and the address shown on the voucher. You must have the voucher available when we make the delivery.  

If you are elderly or disabled, you do not live in sheltered accommodation, and you do not have any capable relatives living in the borough, we may be able to help with decorating your home.

Please phone your neighbourhood housing officer on 01793 445503 for more information.

h) Contents insurance

You are responsible for insuring the contents of your home against loss or damage. We strongly recommend that you arrange insurance to cover the cost of replacing all your possessions.

We have linked up with a reputable insurance company so we can offer you insurance at specially-negotiated rates.

We will not be able to help you to replace lost or damaged items unless the loss or damage was caused by our negligence.

For more information, contact our insurance clerk on 01793 464657.

The main benefits of this insurance are as follows:

• If an item of up to five years old is lost or destroyed, it will be replaced with a new item.
• It provides cover against loss or damage from fire, theft and flood.
• It replaces stolen keys.
• It insures the contents of freezers.
• It provides public liability insurance to cover you against claims made against you.

If you want the insurance to cover home improvements you have made, you may need to pay an extra premium.

i) Furniture

You may be able to get help with furnishing your home, depending on your personal circumstances.

Contact:

Top Drawer
1/2 Sussex Square
Somerville Road
Swindon.

Phone: 01793 536613

If you receive Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance, you may be able to get a Social Fund Loan to help you buy furniture from Jobcentre Plus. Phone 0800 882200