Find out about changes to our services and Christmas opening times on our Festive information page. To find out when your bin will be collected over the festive period, visit Changes to County Durham bin collections at Christmas.

Due to maintenance, the following systems will be unavailable from 11.45am on Tuesday 24 December until 8.00am on Thursday 2 January: our online Council Tax, business rates and housing benefit services, and our welfare assistance form. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

I am struggling to pay my rent or mortgage

There are schemes that can help you if you are struggling to pay your rent or mortgage.

You may find yourself at risk of being homeless for many reasons. Do not wait until you become homeless - tell us you are at risk of becoming homeless.

If you need somewhere to sleep tonight Contact Homeless (freephone number).

If you are struggling to pay your rent or mortgage, Contact Housing Advice Line as soon as possible.

How we can help

There are a number of options we will look at - we may be able to help you to:

find a more affordable home.
get a direct housing payment. This is a top up towards your rent for one year only. If you qualify for this, you must agree to conditions, depending on your circumstances. For example, moving to a cheaper home or applying for jobs. We will let you know what these conditions are.
negotiate with your landlord, by:
- helping you set up a payment plan
- advising you on the court process (if you are being taken to court for rent arrears). The sooner you Contact Housing advice (freephone number), the more likely it is that you will avoid court action.

See our Get help to avoid becoming homeless information.

Contact Housing advice (freephone number)

Email housing@durham.gov.uk
Telephone 08081 968 406

Related information

Offsite links