Changes to your rent and service charges

We, like many other organisations and housing providers, are impacted by the current high levels of inflation. We’re a not-for-profit organisation and every penny we receive is reinvested in services for our residents, such as repairs, upgrades to homes and frontline services.

In order to continue investing in good quality homes and services for all, we need to make an increase to the rent to be applied from 1 April 2024.

Yes. You can find out about your new rent and service charges in the booklet we sent to you in the post.

We’ve calculated the rent increase following strict guidelines set by the government.

Your rent increase is detailed in the booklet we sent in the post. If you’re unable to find the booklet, please contact us.

Yes. Your service charges cover all the services we provide to your home.

This will vary depending on where you live – for example a house in a street usually wouldn’t have a service charge, but a house on an estate probably would.

Flats almost always have a service charge unless they’re affordable rent, intermediate rent, or market rent.

If you’re struggling to pay, please contact us. It’s always best to talk to us as soon as possible.

We can explain through your options and our friendly advisers can make sure you’re getting the financial support you’re entitled to and advise you on how to apply if you aren’t.

Our Social Impact Team offers free practical and confidential financial guidance to help you keep on top of your rent and household bills.

They can also put you in touch with other services, help you get online, and support you with jobs, skills, and training.

In your rent increase booklet, you’ll find a full breakdown of your service charges and what they cover.

We always look for value for money in the services we provide and aim to balance the quality of the services against the cost.

If you have a query about the services you are charged for, please contact us.

If you're charged weekly but pay monthly, you’ll be affected by the extra week rent this year. This is because there are 53 Mondays in the 2024/25 financial year, starting from Monday 1 April 2024. This happens every five to six years.

If you’re receiving Universal Credit, you’ll need to be mindful there will be one week of rent not covered by Universal Credit. This means you’ll have to pay this yourself.

We understand that this may be difficult. If you’re concerned or would like to discuss a payment plan, we’re here to help.

If you’d like to calculate it yourself, you multiply your new weekly rent by 53 then divide by 12.

If you’re claiming Housing Benefit, you’ll need to contact your local Housing Benefit office to tell them about these new charges.

They’ll work out how much of your new rent they’ll pay. If you don’t, your new benefit may be delayed, and your rent could go into debt.

If you receive help for housing costs from Universal Credit (UC) you must let the DWP know about your rent change on or after the date of your rent increase.

Please use the ‘confirm your housing costs’ form, which will appear as a ‘to-do’ on your online journal from 1 April 2024.

If you pay your full rent by Direct Debit this will be changed automatically for you. You will receive a letter confirming your new amount payable from 1 April 2024.

If your Direct Debit was set up after 30 January 2024 or if you pay part of your charges by Direct Debit and Housing Benefit pays the rest directly to us,  please contact us to confirm your new Direct Debit payment amount.

We carefully review rent and service charge levels every year. It’s vital you pay your rent and service charges under the terms of your tenancy or lease.  

If you don’t pay your full rent and service charges, your account will go into arrears, and we’ll take action to recover the unpaid sums. You may end up facing more debt and court costs, making things even more difficult.

If you think you’ll have difficulty paying, please contact us as soon as possible to find out what support is available.