If your total rent and charges are paid by the Housing Benefit office directly to the landlord, then you don't need to do anything else.
Paying your rent
Total rent and charges
The rent and services charges added up.
Housing Benefit office
This is where you can go and talk to people about your Housing Benefit.
Landlord
The person you pay rent to is the landlord.
But if you pay the landlord yourself, you can choose how you do this. Look at these ways to pay and decide which is best for you: paying with cash, paying by cheque or paying using your bank account.
Landlord
The person you pay rent to is the landlord.
Cash
Money that you hold in your hand. It can be notes or coins.
Cheque
This is a piece of paper that you can fill in to pay money to people.
Bank account
You can put money in the bank and leave it there. Then when you need it you can take the money out to pay for things.
Paying rent with cash
You take money from your bank account or savings account and give it to your landlord.
Bank account
You can put money in the bank and leave it there. Then when you need it you can take the money out to pay for things.
Savings
Money that you put into your bank account and don't spend straight away.
Landlord
The person you pay rent to is the landlord.
Landlord
The person you pay rent to is the landlord.
Rent book
When you and the landlord have both signed the tenancy agreement, the landlord should give you a rent book, where everything you pay is written down.
Be Careful!
You have to remember to pay your rent at the right time.
Rent
You can rent a flat or a house to be your home. This means that you are paying to stay there - you do not own it yourself.
It is not very safe to carry a lot of money around if you need to go to the landlord's office.
Landlord
The person you pay rent to is the landlord.
Landlord
The person you pay rent to is the landlord.
Cheque
This is a piece of paper that you can fill in to pay money to people.
If you do this, the landlord must post you a document called a receipt. It says how much you paid and the date when you paid.
Landlord
The person you pay rent to is the landlord.
Keep it safe in a folder at home.
Be careful!
This way of paying means you need to remember to do it every week or month.
You need to remember the address, write an envelope and post it in time.
Paying rent using your bank account
You can tell the bank to take money from your bank account on the right day every week or month and pay it to the landlord.
Bank
This is a place where you can keep your money safe.
Bank account
You can put money in the bank and leave it there. Then when you need it you can take the money out to pay for things.
Landlord
The person you pay rent to is the landlord.
But you do need to make sure there is enough money in your bank account on the right day.
Bank account
You can put money in the bank and leave it there. Then when you need it you can take the money out to pay for things.
More information
There is more information about paying your bills and having a bank account in the Managing your money section at the top of this website.
There is also a section called Using A Bank Account on the Making Money Easier website.