Are you having problems paying your rent or bills? Are you struggling for food or fuel? Do you have no access to the internet, but need it for your Universal Credit account, children’s homework or to stay in touch with family members? If you are a tenant in the BITMO area please contact BITMO on 0113 378 2188 as we may be able to help.
If you are finding it hard to pay your rent, please contact your Rent Officer on 0113 378 2187. They will be able to:
- make an agreement with you on how much rent and arrears need to be paid
- give you advice on benefits and grants you may be entitled to
To help our Rent Officer understand your financial position, please complete this form (xls spreadsheet) and submit it below.
If you have multiple debts they will refer you to BITMO’s Financial inclusion Officer, who will be able to help you directly or refer you to a support agency. The important thing is to talk to us if you are struggling so we can help you make a plan to stop your rent arrears and other debts getting out of control.
Benefits calculator
To get an idea of what benefits you are entitled to, you can use this benefits calculator:
https://www.entitledto.co.uk Please note that it will only give an estimate and you can speak to your Rent Officer for a referral for benefits advice. You can use the calculator for an idea of what would happen to your benefits if you changed your hours or got a higher wage at work.
Your Rent Officer will be able to advise you if you are entitled to Housing Benefit or a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP). Contact your Rent officer on 0113 378 2187.
You can apply for DHP directly here:
https://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/council-tax-and-benefits/discretionary-housing-payments
If you are already on Universal Credit, you can access your account here:
https://www.universal-credit.service.gov.uk/sign-in
If you are thinking of applying for Universal Credit, please contact your rent Officer first. You may be better off on other benefits.
If you are having problems paying the council tax, please read this page. If you are on Universal Credit you need to apply for Council Tax Support, as this is not included in your benefits.
https://www.leeds.gov.uk/council-tax/problems-paying-your-council-tax
If you are having problems paying your water bill, you can contact Yorkshire Water here:
https://www.yorkshirewater.com/billing-payments/help-paying-your-bill/
If you have your gas or electricity with EDF Energy, npower or e.on you can apply for help here:
Leeds Credit Union can help you in many different ways. They offer a basic, bill paying account. They have a Xmas club where you can put a little money away each week to save for Christmas. They offer loans, with a clear calculator of how much you will pay back, depending on the size and length of the loan. You can visit their website here:
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