Changes to social and affordable rents from April 2020

Every year, we review the rent you pay for your home and this year will be our first rent increase in four years for social and affordable tenants. Here’s what’s happening from April when the new charges come into effect.

Published: 13/02/2020

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From April 2020, housing associations will be able to increase social and affordable rents by up to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus 1%, in line with current Government policy.

We are increasing rents for our social and affordable rented homes by 2.7% from April. We’ve decided to do this so that we can invest more in our existing homes and communities, as well as build more much-needed social homes. This will be the first time our rents have increased in the last four years; in following the government guidelines, we’ve reduced rents by 1% each year over this period.

Changes to your rent

We'll write to you to let you know what your new rent will be and how it was calculated. This depends on a range of factors, such as the type of tenancy that you have and when it started. If you're a social or affordable rent tenant, your new rent will be based on the CPI (cost of living) measure for September 2019 (1.7%) plus 1%.

We’ll also confirm in your letter any changes to your service charge. You’ll be able to see at a glance what it costs us to deliver services not covered by your rent, such as cleaning and maintaining the communal areas. You’ll have at least one month’s notice before the changes come into effect.

When you get your letter, please get in touch if you have a query about it or if you think you’ll have difficulty paying. Just call our customer team on 0300 123 3456.

How your rent is invested

Our priority is to invest more in our existing homes and carry out building safety work, as well as building more social and affordable homes to help people in housing need. We also have one of the largest community programmes across London and the South East to help people make the most of their lives.

Need help or advice?

If you are worried about being able to pay your rent, please let us know. We have dedicated teams and services that can help you with everything from finding work, financial support and debt advice. Call us on 0300 123 3456 to find out more.