We want our rents to be as fair and affordable as possible. So we use government rules as well as the cost of maintaining your home to set your initial rent.
We look at:
- How much your home is worth
- How big it is
- How many bedrooms it has.
Why rents change
Like most other housing associations, we’ve decided to increase rents so we can continue to invest in homes, services and communities.
As the cost of delivering our services has gone up, we need to raise rents by the amount allowed by the government.
For example, we carry out over 1,000 repairs every day and have introduced a local repairs service, with one contractor managing most repairs and maintenance in each area.
And last year we spent £200m on repairs and maintenance, and an extra £231m on major improvements. Our repairs team completed 357,556 repairs.
How we work out changes to your rent
We check rents every year and will write to you if your rent is changing.
To make sure we’re raising rents fairly, we follow the government’s Rent Standard. This caps any raises by inflation (Consumer Price Index, CPI) plus 1%.
In 2026, this meant rents for social and affordable rented homes increased by up to 4.8%
Since April 2020, most social housing rents have increased by CPI+1% of the existing rent each year. The increase applies to the rent element of your total rent charge and not the service charge or personal charges.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a figure used to measure inflation. The previous September’s CPI is used to calculate rent increases. In September 2025, CPI was 3.8%. Therefore, if you are a social housing tenant your rent this year will increase by up to 4.8% (3.8% + 1%).
For 2026/27, rent increases for social housing tenants in our general needs and care and support will see an increase of 4.8% in their net rent.
For shared ownership homes, your rent will increase based on the terms of your lease agreement.
And for Fair Rent shared ownership homes, your rent will increase based on the terms of your lease agreement but capped at the Registered Fair Rent.
Rents for homes not covered by the Rent Standard
Some homes aren't covered by government rent rules. These include:
- Intermediate market rent homes
- Market rent homes
- Regency (former Crown Estate) homes
We’ve included details of their rent increases (as well as all the others) in the table below:
| Type of rent | Increase from April 2026 |
| Social rent | 4.8% |
| Affordable rent | 4.8% |
| Social Fair Rent | 4.8%, but capped at the Registered Fair Rent. |
| Market rent | 10%, but capped at latest Market Rent Value. |
| Intermediate market rent | 5%, but capped at latest Market Rent Value at 80%. |
| Regency (former Crown Estate) properties | 5%, but capped at latest Market Rent Value at the percentage set in you Tenancy Agreement. |
| Shared ownership homes | Will depend on the terms of individual leases. |
| Fair Rent Shared ownership homes | Will depend on the terms of individual leases but capped at the Registered Fair Rent. |
What to do if you’re struggling
We know many people are finding things tough. If you're worried about your rent, we’re here to help.
Our teams can give you advice on:
- Benefits and grants you may be able to claim
- Managing debt and budgeting
- Saving on energy and utility bills
How to pay
