This report is one of two on rent arrears and Housing Benefit (HB), published by the Audit Commission in Wales in partnership with Cardiff University.
It is a practical guide for councils and housing associations on how to prevent and manage rent arrears, including how to work more closely with Housing Benefit services. The report has a practical focus and is aimed at operational managers and staff who want to challenge and improve their approach to arrears prevention and recovery. It covers not just policies and procedures, but also the pre-requisites for improvement such as strong strategic management, tenant involvement and good working relations with HB services.
The report is in two parts.
Delivering the service, describes positive practice in relation to the key activities of:
- Collecting rent
- Preventing arrears
- Recovering current arrears
- Recovering former tenant arrears
Driving improvement highlights the key requirements for continuous improvement:
- Clear corporate aims and objectives
- Understanding the nature and scale of the problem
- Effective performance management arrangements
- Strong tenant focus
- Working with HB services
- Working with other services/agencies
- Committed and trained staff
- Effective information management and IT arrangements