Paying rent

Paying rent

Ways to pay

1. Make a payment online using your credit or debit card. Please read advice regarding Credit card handling fees
   
   Pay rent online        View your rent statement online
   
   
2. In person at Hammersmith Town Hall Extension
   
   
3. By cash or cheque at your local post office using your housing charges payment card or book
   
   
4. By Payzone: you can pay with your housing charges swipe card at any payzone outlets that has bill paying facilities.
   » Find your nearest Payzone
   
   
5. By automated phone system using your credit or debit card. 020 8753 1930 – 24 hours. Please read advice regarding Credit card handling fees
   
   
6. By  Standing order (pdf) 
   
   
7. By Direct debit (pdf) 
   
   
8. By post to:
   
   Rent Accounts
   3rd Floor
   Hammersmith Town Hall Ext
   Hammersmith, London W6 9JU.
   
   Cheques and postal orders must be made payable to London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
   
   Please ensure you write your name and pay reference number on the reverse of your cheque. 
   

Is your account in credit?

Get a refund by filling out Rent account refund form (pdf) and returning it to us.

What else do I have to pay?

• All tenants have to pay water rates, even if you are on Income Support
  
• All tenants with district heating systems must pay their heating charges, even those on Income Support
  
• Council Tax is not automatically covered even if you are on benefits, you may have to apply for Council Tax benefit separately
  

How do we spend your rent?

View a breakdown of  how we spend your rent.

How do we calculate your rent?

Local authorities have limited discretion to set rent levels. The government seeks to ensure that public sector rents across the country are fair. This means that rents have to be proportional to the value of the property regardless of whether the tenant is in a housing association or local authority dwelling. Rents have in the past not been set equally across the country. Local authorities therefore have to adjust their rents annually in order to move towards the government's target.

In order to calculate the annual rent increase, inflation measures are taken into account. Rents are calculated for each individual dwelling. This means that individual rents are not always at the average rent increase value.

Average rent increases for the past 5 years have been as follows:

2009 / 2010 - 3.04%  ||  2008 / 2009 - 5.64%  || 2007 / 2008 - 5.00%

2006 / 2007 - 4.79%  ||  2005 / 2006 - 4.73%

What am I paying?

The council sets the amount of the weekly housing charges for all council tenants. The total amount includes:

• Rent for your home (This charge is for providing, managing and maintaining your home.)
  
  
• Water rates (Water rates are set by the water companies, and the council collects them on their behalf.)
  
  
• Heating charges (If you have a shared or district heating system with other residents, a charge for this is included with your rent. You may be entitled to a rebate if the system fails for more than 48 consecutive hours. If you have any other form of central heating, you pay directly to the gas or electricity suppliers.)