Automated payment reminders

We use an automated system to remind our tenants and leaseholders if they fall behind on their payments for rent or service charges.

The system is designed to let you know as soon as you get into arrears so you can adjust your payment accordingly, before the amount builds up. There is no automated decision-making involved, and you are encouraged to contact our teams if you have any questions or to ask for support.

We may send you a letter or text message, but sometimes having a conversation is the best way we can help. If we need to speak to you, we may send you a recorded message to let you know. By pressing 1 on your keypad, you can then transfer through to speak to us free of charge.

The number we’ll use for these conversations is 020 8068 4641. If you receive a call from this number, you can be confident that it is a genuine call from Lewisham Council.

The phone calls will sound like this:

Rent call

Service charge call

If you miss the call, we’ll send a text message along with our contact number. This message will come from the above number and the sender will display as ‘Lewisham Council’. It may contain a custom link to our payment system starting pay360.voicescapeportal.com followed by a reference number.

The message will look like this:

A text message that says, "Hi, this is a message from Lewisham Council's Housing Department. We need to speak to you about your rent account. You can make a quick and secure payment here via the councils payment system [link] or you can call us on 0208 068 4641. Thank you."

If you click on the link, it will take you through to our payment system on sbs.e-paycapita.com.

The payment system looks like this:

Our payment portal. The text says, "Before we redirect you to the secure payment area, please confirm the amount of rent that you would like to pay."

If you receive a text message you may be asked to call back on one of the following numbers to ensure you go through to the right department:

020 8314 6820 – home ownership (leasehold)
020 8314 6730 – former tenant arrears
020 8314 6740 – current tenant arrears
020 8314 6750 – temporary Accommodation arrears
020 8314 6760 – garage arrears

You may also still receive text messages and calls from our existing numbers: 0800 028 2028 and 07888 863 392 (which is also the number you can use to check your balance by texting BAL followed by your 10-digit account number, e.g. BAL 1234567890).

Be scam aware

you should never click on a link in a message or email if you are unsure about whether it is genuine
we will never ask you for bank or card details over the phone unless we are processing a payment to your rent account and data protection checks have already been completed by one of our staff
we will never ask you to send us personal or financial information via text message

If you have any concerns regarding calls or messages from us about your rent account, please contact our Income team on lh-rent@lewisham.gov.uk if you are a council tenant, garage licence holder or in temporary accommodation.

If you are a leaseholder, contact our Home Ownership team on hos@lewisham.gov.uk. All teams can also be contacted by phone on 0800 028 2028.

Published on: 10/02/2026