If you get into arrears, we will write to you asking to you to make a payment.  You should not ignore this letter.  Greenfields will help and advise you in any way we can so that you can pay your rent.  However, if you do not contact us, we will start taking action and take steps to evict you.

This is because, by not paying your rent, you are breaking your tenancy agreement.

Possession Orders – You may be sent a Notice of Seeking Possession.  At this stage, you can still contact the Income Team, within one month, to arrange to pay your rent arrears.
If you don’t contact us, we will apply to the Court for a Possession Order.  This will lead to a Court hearing, which you should attend.  You will receive a Summons, which will give you a date and time of the hearing and will tell you that you will now be liable for Court costs.  In this time, you can still make an effort to reduce your rent arrears by contacting the Income Team.

There are two types of Possession Order:

• Suspended Possession Order – This means that, as long as you keep to the agreement made in Court, your home is safe and we will not take any further action.  If you break the agreement, we will apply for a bailiff’s warrant to evict you.
• Outright Possession Order – This means that you will be evicted.

If you are evicted, you must contact Braintree District Council’s Homeless Team.  You may not qualify for re-housing if you are found to have made yourself intentionally homeless, which means one or more of the following:

• You have been found to be a person who wilfully failed to pay rent
• You have broken a rent-paying arrangement with us
• You have broken a rent-paying agreement with the Court
• A Court has decided that an Outright Possession Order should be granted to Greenfields because you have failed to pay the rent

Remember – Talk to the Income Team at the first opportunity if you are having problems paying your rent.  We do not want to evict you but we may have to as a last resort.