Iron fist, velvet glove

For many tenants who get behind on paying their rent, it's not a case of "won't pay" but "can't pay". As Rita Patel, researcher at the Audit Commission, says: "Many housing association tenants are on low incomes and the proportion of tenants who are really poor is growing."

This means the way landlords go about collecting rent has a big impact on their success – as she puts it, "a heavy-handed, punitive approach is unlikely to have a huge impact".

Many registered social landlords and councils have found that good customer care and good arrears performance often go hand in hand. But building a good relationship with tenants and keeping them involved in developing the service is no mean feat when you have to take firm action on arrears, so here are some tips:

1. Begin at the beginning

It's never too early to start. Sign-up is an opportunity to go through all the information the tenant needs about paying rent, claiming benefit and who to contact if they find it difficult to pay. At the same time, you can check whether they have any particular communication needs.

2. Stay in contact

Make sure tenants know who to contact about rent issues and when main offices and local surgeries are available. Take every opportunity to publicise telephone numbers and opening hours – this may include tenant newsletters, leaflets and the back of rent statements. Some customers may need an interpreter or to use a hearing loop or minicom. To encourage contact, these need to be available and publicised, with training for officers on how to make use of them.

3. Tell tenants what to expect

Do customers know what to expect? To avoid misunderstandings later on, make sure you have clear service standards for rent recovery. Involving tenants in drawing up these service standards will help to balance your objectives and their needs. For example, West Lothian council has produced a clear rent policy statement that covers the services it offers and what it will do if a tenant is in arrears.

4. Make it easy to pay …

It is very important to offer tenants a choice of payment methods. Make sure you include methods that are accessible outside normal office hours and consider offering rent-free weeks during the Christmas period, when it can be hard to pay. As well as helping customers, this will improve your rent collection figures.

5. … and to understand

Rent statements should be sent regularly and must be easy to understand. This allows tenants to keep a record of payments and question any anomalies, meanwhile cutting down the number of queries you are likely to receive.

It also means all tenants receive regular communication, whether or not they are in arrears. Watford council, for example, uses the back of statements to show tenants the payment methods they can use and to give details about the statement itself.

6. Don't be afraid to ask

As well as the usual satisfaction surveys and focus groups, why not consider a regular agenda item on rent arrears at tenant meetings? It's working at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, which has a monthly rents policy panel just for this purpose, made up of elected tenant representatives.

And, although no one likes to hear complaints, they can be a vital learning tool: a good complaints procedure will not only ensure that tenants get a speedy and clear response but also that their views are fed into the process of developing the service. Penwith Housing Association makes it easier for customers to complain by accepting complaints through the internet as well as on forms on the front desk.

7. Take action early

You might feel that delaying action on arrears is "giving tenants a chance" but it is not good customer care because it can allow debts to become unmanageable. It is essential that you tell customers as soon as their account falls into arrears: a visit or a telephone call is often more effective than letters alone. At Wolverhampton council, officers have specialist training in using the telephone as a tool for rent collecting.

8. Say what you mean

Rent letters are often the first time a tenant will hear about their arrears so it is essential that the message is right and encourages the tenant to make contact. Keep the letter clear and to the point; have a consistent structure, explaining what the problem is, what to do to remedy it and what will happen if it is not remedied. Make sure tenants can understand the letters and offer translations and alternative formats if required. Tenants will be more likely to respond and you can then demonstrate to the courts that you have made every effort to help them.

Rotherham ensures its letters and leaflets are easy to read by having its tenants' policy panel apply Crystal Mark clear English principles to the text and award it an "easy read" mark if it passes.

9. Work together

It can be hard work, but coordinating with other agencies is essential to ensure that tenants receive all the services they need. Developing service level agreements with other agencies will ensure partners know what to expect of each other. Rent arrears seldom occur in isolation so it is good practice for landlords to provide access to a debt advice service. Broomleigh Housing Association part-funds a money adviser post in the local Citizens Advice Bureau. Referrals are integrated into their rent procedure and the service is advertised widely.

10. Well-trained staff

Technical training in rent recovery is essential because competent staff will give a better service. Sheffield council has devised an accreditation scheme for all rent recovery officers, testing their knowledge of procedures and the law.

Customer care courses can be met with groans from busy staff who see them as irrelevant to their work, but tailoring them to specific services or current hot topics within the organisation can give them a new lease of life. Consider using an external facilitator, briefed with real-life scenarios, instead of a familiar face from within the organisation.

And finally, many of the top performers have won quality awards for their procedures (ISO 9002) and customer care (the Charter Mark). These award frameworks can provide a useful tool for improving services, particularly if customers themselves get involved.