Weaver Vale Housing Trust

Weaver Vale Housing Trust is here to help you if you're worried about money or struggling to pay your bills. The teams offer personalised advice and support because everyone's circumstances are different.

Making contact is the first step to helping with any money worries and they are committed to giving you the advice and practical support you need.

For more information on support services, call: 0300 303 9848 and ask for the Rent Support Team. They will help you find out which services you can access.

We have a number of dedicated support teams including Money Matters Team. We can help you with debts, budgeting, benefits, and energy advice. They are experts and they are there to help you. You can access this support by calling us on 03003039848 and asking for the Rent Support team

There are also support services to help people get back into work and/or training. For more information on training and other employment support, email: workteam@wvht.co.uk or call the number above and ask for the Work Team.

Energy debt is another area they offer advice on. Here are some important tips to help you avoid falling into energy debt or deal with your debt during these difficult winter months.

Top tips to avoid or deal with energy debt

• If you are worried about your bill, contact your supplier (this is whoever your gas and electric account is with) straight away to come to an affordable arrangement. The sooner you do this the better. Don't let a big debt build up.
• Before you agree a payment arrangement, go through your budget (the money you have coming in and what you spend each week or month) to make sure you know what you can afford. Be honest with yourself about this because it's no good offering to pay something you can't afford.
• When making a payment arrangement, don't agree to something you know is not affordable. If this means you can't pay for energy, speak to your supplier or seek some advice regarding your debt. Citizens Advice is always a good place to start for this. You can visit the Citizens Advice website or call: 0800 278 7806.
• If you are on a pre-payment meter, contact your supplier to make sure that any money owed to them is being paid at the lowest rate possible.
• Remember if you set up a weekly arrangement to repay money owed from your meter and you don't top up for a month, these missed payments will continue building up. So if you agree to pay £5 per week and miss four weeks then £20 will be added back on to the debt balance and can sometimes be taken in a lump sum when you first top up.
• Don't forget the standing charge (daily fixed charge) on your meter will be charged whether you have used any gas or electricity or not. If you have no money on your meter this will build up as debt and be recovered weekly or in full, from the amount you top up.
• If you haven't used your meter for a while (this sometimes happens over summer if you haven't used gas) and can't afford to pay the debt that will have built up from the standing charge in one go, speak to your supplier. They can arrange to recover this at a weekly amount, which should be affordable for you.
• If you are behind on your water bill, contact your water provider as they have affordability schemes available to help you get back on track.
• If you are in receipt of means tested benefits, have water dependent medical conditions or a large family, advise the water supplier of this as there may be cheaper tariffs available for you.
• Your supplier may have a grant scheme to help repay gas, electricity or water arrears so ask them about this when you contact them. Be open and honest with them about your situation because they are often very willing to help.

Weaver Vale Housing Trust