Housing chiefs’ eviction plea: talk to us before losing your home

Council tenants who are at risk of losing their homes because of rent arrears have been urged by Wigan and Leigh Housing: come and talk to us.

The call comes after new figures revealed that 69 council tenants have been evicted for arrears in the past year, including 14 families, and nearly a hundred more have court orders pending that could lead to their eviction.

Wigan and Leigh Housing, which manages the borough’s 23,000 council homes, say many problems could be avoided if tenants who find it hard to pay their rent sought advice before continuing to run up large arrears.

Ashley Crumbley, chief executive of Wigan and Leigh Housing, said:

“All of these evictions and future evictions could be avoided. We currently have 31 officers across the borough providing expert advice and assistance. They are able to discuss tenants’ individual circumstances, and negotiate how the arrears are to be paid.”

Mr Crumbley pointed out that often tenants are not getting the full benefits to which they are entitled

“When talking to us, we can check that a person is receiving all benefits they are entitled to, and if required, arrange appointments with independent agencies who give free and confidential advice.”

While the borough’s rent arrears have fallen over the past four years and are lower than the Greater Manchester average, Wigan and Leigh Housing says it is determined to keep on top of them.

Mr Crumbley added:

“Evicting tenants and their families is not an action we take lightly since we are not in the business to evict, but to sustain communities and homes. However, failure to pay rent reduces our ability to improve our tenants’ homes.“

None of the 69 evicted tenants have since approached Wigan and Leigh Housing to be rehoused as homeless.

Tenants having problems are urged to ring Wigan and Leigh Housing on 01942 705040 or talk directly to their area housing office to discuss their situation in confidence.

Note to editors

Here are two case studies involving tenants getting more money after receiving advice and help from Wigan and Leigh Housing’s income assessors when their cases were being considered for court:

• A single mother who worked part time earning £82.50 per week living with her 19 year old daughter who had dropped out of college. On completion of housing benefits and welfare benefit checks the tenant was able to claim housing benefit of £36 a week, plus a council tax reduction.
• A single man living alone, self employed, who had to stop work due to an injury, was not able to claim Job Seekers Allowance as he did not pay enough National Insurance contributions. His living expenses were being paid by his parents. On completion of a housing benefit form and a back date request from Wigan and Leigh Housing, he was refunded £689.