You will shortly receive your annual rent review letter through the post which sets out what your rent and service charge amounts will be from 1st April 2023. 

We set our rents in line with government policy and guidelines from the Regulator of Social Housing.  Last year the Government confirmed that there will be a social housing rent cap of 7% in 2023: this is designed to support households with the rising cost of living. As a result, from 1st April 2023 we will be increasing our rents by 7% and the vast majority of social landlords will also be increasing their rents by 7% too. We have created this Customer Leaflet to tell you more. 

This is always a difficult decision to make and never more so than this year with rising inflation and costs of living. As a not-for-profit organisation, this year’s rent increase will help us to continue our investment in the improvement and maintenance of our existing homes, keeping them safe and secure; helping us to build more new affordable homes for local people; and support us meeting environmental sustainability targets.

As a business we’re also facing pressures around rising energy, material and service costs. Gas prices have almost doubled in a year and electricity prices have increased by nearly four times year on year. The costs of sub-contractors’ labour and materials have also gone up by 10-15% over the last year. If we had set rents below 7%, it we would quite simply mean we would have had to make cuts to services and investment.

Service charge
If you pay a service charge, a new schedule detailing these costs will be included within your rent letter. This covers any services which you receive outside your home or that are shared with your neighbours, such as gardening or cleaning of communal areas.

What do you need to do?
Your new rent payment (and service charge if applicable) will be due on 1st April 2023.

• If you receive Universal Credit, on 1st April Universal Credit (UC) will automatically add a ‘To-do’ to your journal to update your housing costs. Please do this promptly on 1st April as your UC will not be increased until you do it and they do not backdate payments.
• If you receive Housing Benefit direct to yourself, you will need to contact your local council benefits team about the rent increase.
• If you pay us by Direct Debit, you don’t need to do anything. The amount will be automatically changed. Please check your statement. N.B. The direct debit payment for your April rent may actually be made in March. You will receive notice of any change to your direct debit schedule.
• If you pay by any other method (such as online banking, your mylyha account or Allpay payment card), you will need to change the amount yourself. Please make sure this is done in time for 1st April, when your new rent is due. Better still, why not set up a direct debit now? It’s very easy to do, just click here.

What should I do if I am struggling with money?
We recognise that times are tough at the moment, and we are here to help. If you are struggling to pay your rent and bills or are worried about spiralling debts, please call us straight away and ask to speak to an Income Officer. They can signpost you to the right sources of support to help you get your finances under control.