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Inflation busting 8.1% council house rent increase
Date published: 31 January 2012
Rent charges on council homes are to increase by 8.1 per cent for 2012/13.
The decision to implement the increases was made at a Cabinet meeting held on Monday (30 January).
The report presented to the Cabinet, stated: “The 2012/13 formula rent for Rochdale is £68.56 per week as per the Government’s rent restructuring formula. The average actual rent will be £64.80 per week based on an 8.1 per cent increase.”
The increase for 2011/12 was 7.15 per cent.
The Council is currently going through the process of transferring its housing stock to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), subject to approval. If the transfer goes ahead RBH will become the landlord and have responsibility for setting rent levels for its tenants.
The report states: “The rent increase would be the same whether the stock transfer goes ahead or not, as the same rent restructuring formula applies to both local authorities and housing associations.”
Councillors also approved that charges for garage rents, amenity and careline charges, furniture charges, rent references and deeds of postponement are increase by 2.5 per cent.
Comments
Please educate me as to what the issue is here? Many of those who are fortunate enough to have a council house get much, if not all of their rent covered by Housing Benefit? Those who do pay rent are paying significantly less than those who are in private rented. I'm in private rented and my landlord has increased the rent by £25 each year, which is about 5-6%, and I have very little choice but to pay it or move every 12 months.
Have Your Say
Many of us were under the understanding that by voting in favour of the stock transfer to a Housing Cooperative tenants would get a whole host of repairs done. That by voting 'no' they'd not get the improvements done and would have a rent rise, or was that just RMBC spin, aka 'proganda' to get us to vote the way that suited them? Seems like RBH are having their cake and eating it again. You can bet they've not calculated how the proposed Housing Benefit cap will impact on this as well.
By Streetshack @ 31/01/2012 12:59:05