Payments, Rents and Charges

There are several ways for tenants to pay rent. The preferred payment method is by Standing Order, Household Budget Scheme through An Post, Rent Billpay Card or Electronic Transfer.

When paying your rent through electronic bank transfer or setting up a standing order, please make sure that the payment reference is the same as your tenancy reference number, which can be found on your rent statement. If you are unsure of your tenancy reference number, please contact our Income Management Team.

You can also pay your rent online by clicking the button below or by calling us on 01-4072110 (Select option 1).

Pay Rent Online

Circle VHA tenants are legally obliged to pay rent. The income received through rent payments is used to secure the future repair needs and the ongoing management of homes and tenancies.

The rent a tenant pays is determined by the funding scheme that was used to acquire the property and by the Local Authority area the property is located in. These are called ‘differential rent policies’. The rents set by the differential rent policies are calculated as a percentage of the household’s income.

The Capital Assistance Scheme is specifically used to provide homes for special needs groups. Tenants in accommodation funded under the Capital Assistance Scheme have their rent fixed at levels that are reasonable having regard to the tenant’s income and the outlay by Circle VHA for the costs of management and maintenance. This rent is established by the Department of Housing, with a fixed charge for a one and two-bed household.

As you or your household’s income changes, your rent may change too. Once a year we ask our tenants to complete a Confidential Income Statement so that your rent can be reassessed. If your income reduces or increases during the year, please let us know and send us proof of your income change.

Circle VHA charges rents on a weekly basis and in advance.

We keep a record of all your rent payments. We are legally obliged to send you a quarterly statement, which shows what rent is being charged and what has been paid. You can also request a statement at any time by contacting your Income Management Officer or through our website.

You are breaking a condition of your tenancy agreement if you miss a payment or pay rent late. If you have missed a payment, please contact your Income Management Officer to arrange a repayment.

If you fail to pay your rent and rent arrears build, Circle VHA will issue a formal warning. Continued non-payment of rent will eventually lead to a dispute case being taken to the Residential Tenancies Board and could lead to the termination of your tenancy.

Service charges are applied where there is an Owners Management Company in place, particularly in apartment-type developments, where services are being provided by a property agent.

The service charge usually covers the following:

Repair and maintenance of the exterior of the property and shared or communal areas;
Cleaning of shared areas, such as corridors and lifts, including windows;
Lighting and heating in shared areas;
Maintenance and landscaping of shared gardens;
Waste management/communal bin collection;
Insurance of the structure of the apartment block;
Maintenance and repair of lifts.

If you are a Circle VHA tenant, any service charge passed on to you will be detailed in your rent setting assessment. We review our service charges annually, for more information please see our Payments, Rents and Service Charges guide.