How often can rent be increased?

honeyD

As the title asks, Im wondering how often rent can be increased?
Our landlord is a housing association and they have increased the rent every year for the last 3 years. It was £75 a week, then £76.25 and now its going up to £78 next month. Just annoyed about it really since the place is a dump, house and neighbourhood, at this rate it will be as much as private renting!

Jowo_2

Might be worth asking Shelter for the regulations on this, if a forum member doesn't know.

Your rent seems to have increased the first year by just less than 2% each year so doesn't seem particularly swingeing....

For private landlords, they can't increase the rent during a fixed term but can increase the rent annually (obviously this doesn't apply in your case as you are a social housing tenant).

Horizon81

Before it was a housing association house I assume it was a council house, and they used to go up in price every year. Always been that way, just like annual increased in council tax.

Mind it's hardly a big increase! I'm sure a private landlord would have increased it by much more over the years. Besides, if you're in a housing association house, don't you get benefits to help you pay for it? If not, then like you say, why not go for a much nicer privately rented place?

tbs624

The Govt brought in a rent restructuring scheme for the social housing sector, back in 2002, and all Housing Associations have to update their rents to meet set “net rent” targets over a 10 year period which ends in Mar 2012. By that date the rent on all properties should fall within 5% either side of the target.

There is a specific formula that the HAs have to use which takes into account the county earnings, the property value, no of bedrooms etc, but in some high value areas there is a specific rent cap.

The guidelines were that the RPI +0.5% was to be applied, with the option of a further £2 leeway( plus or minus fig) per week’s rent.

Have you been given a breakdown on the rent, ie what figure is attributable to maintenance costs and looked at whether those seem to have risen excessively?

You can challenge rent increases via the Rent Assessment Committee ( details from your local Council) but you would have to do so before the rent increase becomes due. The CAB or a local housing adviser should be able to give you some guidance: do be aware that RACs can increase the rent, not just confirm it to be acceptable or reduce it.

Doshwaster

Jowo wrote: »

For private landlords, they can't increase the rent during a fixed term but can increase the rent annually (obviously this doesn't apply in your case as you are a social housing tenant).

My contract says that the rent can be increased (or "reviewed") once a year to a maximum of 6% - although it hasn't gone up at all in the last 3 years. In these current market conditions with rents falling it's hard for landlords and agents to justify rent rises.