Changes to social and affordable rents from April 2022

This year we will be increasing rent across all our social and affordable rented homes in line with the government formula.

Published: 25/02/2022

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Here’s what’s happening from April when the new charges come into effect, and what to do if you need support.

We follow rules set by the government when we make any changes to your rent. This means we can increase it by the previous September’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), plus 1%. We calculate service charges, and any other charges, separately based on the cost of services we provide to you.

We are increasing rents for our social and affordable rented homes by up to 4.1% from April 2022. Like most other housing associations, we’ve decided to do this so that we can invest more in our existing homes, services and communities, as well as build more much-needed social homes.

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.

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.

Why is my rent increasing?

Our priority is to invest more in our existing homes, buildings and services, as well as providing more social and affordable homes to help people in housing need. We also have one of the largest community programmes across London and the Southeast to make people’s lives better.

You can find out more about how your rent is invested in our Annual Report to Residents 2020/21 (pdf, 4.4mb)

Increasing rents in line with the government legislation means we can deliver our promises to you to continue investing in your homes and communities.

If we don’t do this, there is a higher risk that we may face tougher financial challenges in the future, making it harder for us to deliver services to residents, invest in our existing homes and build new homes for people who need them.

Need support?

We know that these are tough times as living and energy costs rise and have dedicated teams who can help. 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. We can offer advice and information on a range of benefits which you may be able to claim but may not be aware of. We can also help with advice on debt and money management and energy-saving advice. Just call us on 0300 123 3456.