Tenants of Oxford City Council properties who are having difficulty paying the rent are urged to seek help before they risk losing their home.

The council's rent team manager, Shami Scholes, said that tenants in financial difficulty should seek help using the hotline.

She added: "We don't want tenants to fall behind with rent payment - it can lead to eviction. We cannot stress enough how important it is for council tenants to make paying rent their top priority."

Services for tenants of the 8,000 council homes in the city now include:

Three different dates in a calendar month when the rent can be taken out of tenants' accounts by direct debit - the 5th, 15th, and the last working day

People who change to paying by direct debit will be given a £20 refund after a year.

Tenants can now speak to a rent officer face-to-face to discuss problems on Monday mornings at the Barton housing office, on Tuesday afternoons at the Blackbird Leys office, on Wednesday afternoons in the Rose Hill office and on Friday afternoons in St Aldate's Chambers

Anyone experiencing difficulties can contact the rent team on 01865 467200.