Changes to your Rent and Service charges from April 2023

Every year we review our social housing rents in line with the rules set by the Government. Our final rent settlement has now been approved and we wanted to give you advance notice of this. Please note there are no changes to your rent at this stage. Any increases do not apply until April 2023 for the 2023/24 financial year.

This year our general needs rents will be increasing by 7% in line with the cap on social housing rent increases announced by Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of Exchequer in November 2022.

This will mean a lower than expected rent increase which under the Regulator of Social Housing’s Rent Standard were set to rise by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus 1% - a total of 11.1%.

As a not-for-profit organisation, we use the money to improve our homes, support our planned investment including for critical fire safety works and invest in local communities.

We know many shared owners have also been concerned about the impact of inflation on their rents. We are therefore pleased to confirm that we have agreed a voluntary settlement for shared owners which means we will also cap shared owners rent at 7%. This is lower than the expected increase which under the terms of most leases is linked to the November Retail Price Index (RPI), which was 14%.

Intermediate rents and housing for older people rents will also be capped at a 7% increase.

Rents for supported housing haven’t been capped by the Government in recognition of the extra costs incurred by landlords who deliver this type of specialist housing. They will therefore increase by last September’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus 1% - a total of 11.1%.

We know this may be disappointing news for our supported residents, but we are committed to delivering good quality extra services that our supported housing schemes receive. Please do talk to us if you have any questions or concerns.

Our market rents will increase by Consumer Price Index plus 1% - 11.1%

The rent and service charge booklets detailing your individual charges will be sent out to you at the end of February 2023 with the new charges due from April 2023.

In addition, we have reviewed service charges for the coming year and have worked hard to ensure value for money for all the services that we offer. Unfortunately, inflation is considerably higher than it has been in previous years and our costs, including utility costs, have increased in line with the position nationally.

If you have difficulties paying your rent or service charge, please call us on 0300 123 966 or email us as soon as you can so we can work with you to find a solution. We can also signpost you to other experts and sources of advice.

If your Housing Benefit is paid direct to us, we’ll confirm your new charges with the local authority Housing Benefit Office.

If your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit is paid direct to you, it’s your responsibility to make sure Housing Benefit, or for Universal Credit, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), know your new charges and make any relevant changes.

Please remember, if you’re on Universal Credit do not update your claim until 4 April 2023 as it could cause issues with your claim.