Have Your Say – Rent Setting

All tenants are encouraged to take part in our annual rent setting consultation.

The income from tenants’ rent allows the Council to deliver our Housing Services, upgrade tenants’ homes, for example by making them more energy-efficient or installing new kitchens or bathrooms and increasing the number of properties available for our tenants or applicants.  

Over the last five years rent rises have been kept at or below RPI +0.5% (most years recently well under RPI). The formula has also been changed to the lower CPI – inflation figure over the last year. 

 The agreement with tenants behind this formula was to achieve: 

1. An improved Capital Programme 
2. The EESSH 2 targets 
3. The continuation of having a development / new Council housing building programme. 

The options for a rent rise for 2026/27 that all tenants are being asked to consider are listed below. The Service considers the lower-than-normal options to still be appropriate, given the details provided within this article and the impact many tenants have experienced due to the financial/economic position and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The three options are: 

• 4%
• 5.1% (CPI + 1%)
• 5%

Click the link below to give us your view on what rent increase option you agree with for the year 2026/27 and provide any comments you may have.

The Council will use the feedback gathered during the consultation to prepare a report for a Council meeting in March 2026, at which Elected Members will decide the level of rent increase for Council tenants in the year 2026/27. We will then inform you what your new rent charge will be for 2026/27 at least four weeks in advance of any changes that may occur.