Chesterfield Borough Council tenants who have fallen into rent arrears will begin receiving text message reminders from 9 November as part of a new service designed to encourage early contact and provide support.
The new text messaging service will send messages directly to tenants whose rent accounts have fallen into arrears and will request that they contact the council’s rent team as soon as possible so that officers can discuss the options and support that is available to them.
The messages, which will appear from the GOV.UK Message Alert service, will not include any personal information and will simply encourage tenants to contact the council to discuss things further.
Councillor Jean Innes, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: "We understand that people can face financial pressures for a range of reasons and we want to remind people that we are here to support where possible. By introducing text message reminders for tenants in rent arrears, we're making it easier to reach tenants quickly and encourage them to get in touch before problems grow
“If you are struggling, please remember you are not alone and there are ways that we might be able to help.”
