Summer sun brings rent reminder

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 27th Jun 2005

Sun, a sandcastle and a beach chair all feature in a summer campaign to remind council tenants not to forget to pay their rent while on holiday during the warmer months.

Milton Keynes Council's Rent First Team is repeating the rent reminder message after a successful campaign featuring Rudolph the Reindeer at Christmas last year helped cut rent arrears by £146,945.

The Council is hoping for similar success in the summer season which, like Christmas, is an expensive time of year for many people who have trouble paying their rent. The campaign will also serve as a reminder for those who forget to pay while they are away on their summer holidays.

Rent reminders will include bus advertising, billboards and leaflets, aimed at those who persistently don't pay their rent.

John Bate, manager of the Rent First Team said: "A lot of people fall behind on their rent during the summer months. We want to remind them that the council does evict.

"However, we also want to let people know that we are here to provide support to all of our tenants, and if they are having problems with paying their rent they should contact us as soon as possible. We are here to help.

"It's now very easy for tenants to keep their rent payments up, even if they are away on holiday. It's possible to pay via the internet, and there is also a 24-hour automated telephone payment line (01908) 253940."

Cllr Irene Henderson, Liberal Democrat cabinet member with responsibility for housing, said: "It might be tempting to ignore the rent bill during the summer months, and spend it on something else, but this is a big mistake.

"We will continue to push for tenants to pay their rent - housing services depend on it. Those who pay on time should not have to foot the bill for those people who deliberately shirk paying."