Grove Village

If you're a rent-paying tenant, rent is charged for 50 weeks each year, allowing you rent free weeks at Christmas and Easter (unless your account is in arrears). Each rent week starts on a Monday. You can pay your rent weekly, fortnightly or monthly, but it should be paid in advance.  

There are a number of ways for you to pay your rent, including:  

• Using a payment card – You can use the card to pay at any shop or garage displaying the PayPoint sign, or at any post office. You’ll also need a payment card to pay your rent over the phone or internet (see below).  
• By direct debit – This is the easiest way to pay. Visit or call the neighbourhood office to set up your direct debit. 
• Over the phone – If you have a debit or credit card, you can pay over the phone by calling the neighbourhood office or the 24-hour automated service from www.allpay.net on 0330 041 6497 (calls are charged at national rate and will last about two minutes).  
• Over the internet – Go to at www.allpay.net to pay with a debit or credit card. 

To get a payment card, call the Grove Village neighbourhood office on 0161 274 1180. 

Each time you pay your rent, you’ll be given a receipt or reference number, which you should keep as proof of payment.  

Your rent is set by Manchester City Council. You’ll receive four weeks’ notice of the council’s intention to change your rent. 

It’s very important that you pay your rent on time. If you’re struggling to pay, contact us straight away and we’ll do all we can to support you. Our colleagues are trained to deal with money problems and can offer practical advice.  

Falling behind with your rent can result in court action which might lead to you losing your home. Don’t let the problem escalate – contact us and we’ll try to help you find a solution. 

If you think you’re entitled to housing benefit, you can make a claim online at the neighbourhood office with a member of our team. This will help to speed up the claims process. 

You can also contact our Money Advice Team on 0345 345 0272.

Your tenancy agreement is a legal contract between you and Manchester City Council, which owns your home. We manage your home as a landlord on behalf of the council which means that the landlord obligations set out in your tenancy agreement will be met by us. All the details of the tenancy type, your rights as a tenant, and our responsibilities are included in your agreement. 

As a council tenant, you have the right to buy your home. To be eligible to apply, you’ll need to have a secure (not introductory) tenancy. You may also get a discount on the price you pay for your home, depending on how long you’ve been a council tenant. For a Right to Buy information pack, contact Manchester City Council on 0161 234 5000 or head to their website.  

If you'd like to make an alteration or home improvement, please apply in writing to Grove Village Neighbourhood Office, 19 Guide Post Road, Ardwick, Manchester, M13 9HP or by email to [email protected]. You cannot make any alterations or home improvements until you've been given written permission from Grove Village and Manchester City Council as the landlords. You may also need to obtain planning permission separately. If you make any alterations or home improvements without written permission you may be asked to re-instate the property back to its original condition.

Manchester City Council participates in the National Fraud Initiative. This means it may use your tenancy information to assist with the prevention and detection of fraud. This information may also be shared with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds for these purposes. 

For more information, contact Kathryn Fyfe, Principal Audit Manager on 0161 234 5271. 

Residents of Grove Village can report a repair in the following ways:

• Phone us on 0161 274 1180 (24 hours a day)
• Email us at [email protected]
• Write to us at: Grove Village Neighbourhood Officer, 19 Guide Post Road, Grove Village, Manchester, M13 9HP
• Tell a member of staff, who will be pleased to take the details from you.

Grove Village have an emergency out-of-hours service for urgent or dangerous problems such as heating for vulnerable people, high risk electrical problems or the failure of a front door lock. Here are some useful emergency numbers:

• Out of hours repairs should be reported to 0161 274 1180
• Gas escapes 0800 111 999
• Water leaks 0800 330 033
• Mains power failure 0800 195 4141

We are responsible for doing most of the repairs to your home. You are responsible for some items (for example, replacement of kitchen light bulbs) and may have to pay for others that result from deliberate damage or negligence.

When reporting a repair ensure you have the following information to hand:

• Your name, address and postcode
• A daytime telephone number, if possible, where we can contact you
• Any special access arrangements
• A clear description of the problem

When you have reported your repair we will arrange an appointment with you or give you a target date for its completion. This will depend on several things and could be delayed if you cannot explain the problem to us.

If you're at risk of losing your home, Manchester City Council can help you with advice on:

• how to solve problems affecting your housing situation
• what to do if you have been asked to leave your property
• how you can find somewhere else to live
• how we can help you.

Get housing advice