Money Advice FAQs

Paying your rent should be a priority.

If you miss any payments on your rent account this is known as being in arrears. It is important that any rent arrears are not ignored as they can build up to a large amount and become very difficult to pay off.

Direct Debit

This is the most convenient way to pay your rent on a regular basis through your bank account. Setting up a Direct Debit is quick and easy. Simply login to My account to set one up online. 

If you have a bank account but are unable to pay by Direct Debit it may be possible to pay on a regular basis by standing order. Please discuss this option with us. Direct debits are available weekly on Mondays or monthly on the 1st, 8th, 15th and 25th of the month.

Online through My account

You can pay by debit/credit card through My account. Simply login and choose make a payment.

Yes - if you are having difficulities in paying your rent, simply login to My account and send us a message. A member of our Money Advice team will be in touch with you. You can also seek advice from:

• National Debt Line
• StepChange
• Citizen's Advice Bureau
• Debt Advice Foundation

Universal Credit (UC) is a single benefit that replaces the following:

• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Working Tax Credits
• Child Tax Credits
• Housing Benefit

With Universal Credit, the Government wants to encourage more people into work and earning more money so there will be fewer people in the UK living in poverty. The Government has tried to make the system simple to help people understand what they are entitled to and make the claiming process easier. Find out more about UC here: https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/

Direct Debit is a really easy, practical and safe way to pay your rent:

• Payments are made automatically and securely, so your rent is never forgotten, lost in the post, or delayed
• It helps with budget planning as you know exactly how much is being paid and on what date
• It's simple to set up

Simply login and contact us through My account for more information. Alternatively you can create an account

Your rent balance can be viewed through My account. Simply create an account, login and click on 'My rent'. If you are logged in already click here.

We provide money advice drop in sessions across various locations and times. Often they are weekly, we recommend checking our events to find the nearest drop in session to you. 

The Aspire Housing website is safe to use card payments. Always check that before you type your card details the site is secure.

Look out for a small padlock symbol in the address bar (or elsewhere in your browser window) and a web address beginning with https:// (the s stands for 'secure'). The entire Aspire Housing website is https:// secure so you can have peace of mind that your data and information is safe.

The benefit cap restricts how much a household can claim. The cap is:

• £384.62 per week for lone parents and couples
• £257.69 per week for singles

Benefits included in the cap are:

• Bereavement Allowance
• Child Benefit
• Child Tax Credit
• Employment Support Allowance (ESA)
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
• Maternity Allowance
• Widowed Parents Allowance
• Universal Credit

Benefits excluded from the cap are:

• Council Tax Reduction Scheme
• Discretionary Housing Payment
• Statutory Sick Pay
• Maternity Pay
• Paternity/Adoption Pay

You are excluded from the cap if you or your partner are:

• Pension Credit age
• Entitled to Working Tax Credit
• Receiving Universal Credit and earning £430 or more per month
• In an Employment Support Allowance group
• Receiving Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment
• Receiving Industrial Injuries Benefit
• Receiving Guardians Allowance

Find out if you're affected by clicking here

To find out if you are entitled to claim for additional benefits, you can use the free independent tool, entitled to.

https://www.entitledto.co.uk/benefits-calculator/home/start

Dukes are a third-party income collection agency who work on our behalf. If you have received a letter from them you will need to contact them direct on 01785 825500.

Universal Credit is being introduced throughout 2018 in phases. You can check here if you are eligible to claim Universal Credit or an existing benefit.

If you need to make a new claim for any of the following benefits, this will now be Universal Credit if you are eligible.

• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Working Tax Credits
• Child Tax Credits
• Housing Benefit

If you are already claiming these benefits and don’t need to claim another one you don’t need to do anything now. The Department for Work and Pensions will get in touch with you before there are any changes to your benefits.

Universal Credit works differently to the existing benefit system and it is still relatively new, it hasn’t been launched across all areas of the UK yet. It launched in Cheshire in 2017 and will roll out across the country throughout 2018.

Here’s some key information you should know about UC:

• Any new claim for any of the existing benefits above will be replaced by Universal Credit
• A claim for Universal Credit will need to be made online
• Even if you are receiving one of the benefits above and need to make a new claim for another one, the new claim will be for Universal Credit
• The money to pay your rent with will be included in your monthly Universal Credit payment, it is important that you keep your rent account up to date
• You will still need to apply for Council Tax Support with the council

We can help and support you through the transition to Universal Credit. Visit one of our Money Advice or Income Management drop-in sessions.

If you’d prefer to speak to one of our team, you can reach our expert Money Advisors on 01782 635200.

Since April 2003, both council and housing association tenants have had their rents set according to the Government’s national formula.

The best place to see a member of the team is at the various drop-in sessions held around the area each week. 

The bedroom tax is a shortfall in housing benefit because the property you're renting is considered to large for you or your family's needs. Housing benefit only covers the cost of a property with the number of bedrooms which match your housing eligibility. 

If you're looking to move into one of our homes, we'll check if you are affected. We will only offer a property that is larger than you are eligible for if you don't rely on housing benefit.

Your current rent account balance can be viewed by logging into My Account. 

There are no surcharges or management fees applied to our water charges. 

We do not profit from service charges. 

If you pay a water charge, this will be recharged to you at face value, equally divided by the number of properties that the charge applies to. 

Universal Credit is coming to Newcastle-under-Lyme on Wednesday 12th December 2018. This will help with support towards your family and regular monthly payments which don’t necessarily cut off when you start working. It will help you link together your workload and being a parent. This means it’s easier to take part-time, flexible or temporary jobs. This will help you gain valuable skills and help avoid gaps within your CV. 

Your payment is constructed on your earnings; this isn’t based on how many hours you work. This means you have a range of flexibility and can apply for a wider range of jobs and get back to work sooner as Universal Credit tops up your earnings even if you’re on a low income. 

Depending on certain circumstances, you could still get help and advice on pushing your earnings to a higher rate when you’re in work.