Housing Association Rent

Selidie

Hi Everyone,

Not entirely sure this is the right sub-forum for this but seemed like a reasonable place to start.

My mum lives in a housing association house (Saffron Housing in East Anglia) which she was given on retirement because she had worked for them for many years, they house her for life upon retirement.

However, each year the association email her asking her to calculate her rent cost for the new year.  This does not seem right to me and I cant understand why they believe it is right to ask a pensioner to sit and calculate her rent each year?  Surely the association should be the ones to calculate her rent based on cost, benefits etc and then advise her what it will be and give her an opportunity to challenge it if needed?

Can anyone provide any information, advise or anything I can read up on?

Many thanks

canaldumidi

Selidie said:

..... each year the association email her asking her to calculate her rent cost for the new year. 

Do you mean they ask her to look at her income and outgoings and calculate what rent she thinks she can afford? Seems a strange way to set the rent. Very tenant-friendly but open to abuse!

Or is there a formula she is expected to use eg CPI applied to previous year's rent? Again strange and yes I agree more common for LLs to specify the rent.

However, if the tenancy agreement clearly specifies how rent is adjusted annually, then yes, the tenant is bound by that so has to pay that new rent whether it's specified/demanded or not. And to do so, would have to 'calulate' it.

canaldumidi

There's a good explanation here:

https://saffronhousing.co.uk/residents/make-a-payment/the-rent-increase-explained/

Although the calculation is clearly explained in the link (and I imagine in the letter your mum received too?), I'm sure if she has difficulty with the calculation she can get assistance:

8/. Who can help me if I have concerns?

Once you have received your rent letter and you know what any changes will be to you, you can contact Saffron and speak to us. Our Income Team can offer help and advice about any concerns you may have about paying your rent or service charge. Please email info@saffronhousing.co.uk or call 01508 532000.

tinytiddles

OK so I work for a housing association and personally I would say this is a ridiculous and lazy way for them to go about it. By comparison, my association calculates the new rent and service charges each year, then nets off any housing benefit / known universal credit payments and then advises at the bottom what the new weekly payment is (if any). I thought everyone did it that way, goes to show that every day is a school day. 

I’d be intrigued to know what their rent arrears levels are as I bet a lot of people get it wrong especially when you bring rent free weeks into the equation. 

canaldumidi

tinytiddles said:

...

I’d be intrigued to know what their rent arrears levels are as I bet a lot of people get it wrong ..

or their profit levels if people over-calculate the new rent....?

t0rt0ise

Maybe because she's a retired employee her rent agreement is different. Still seems odd that they don't work it out themselves. Maybe she doesn't actually have a tenancy agreement.

tinytiddles

canaldumidi said:

tinytiddles said:

...

I’d be intrigued to know what their rent arrears levels are as I bet a lot of people get it wrong ..

or their profit levels if people over-calculate the new rent....?

Yes that too, just all seems bizarre to me. I was coming from the angle of how unfair it is to chase arrears when it isn’t really the resident’s fault if the rent payment amount isn’t calculated. As I said, seems utterly lazy and irresponsible on the HA’s part. 

canaldumidi

tinytiddles said:

canaldumidi said:

tinytiddles said:

...

I’d be intrigued to know what their rent arrears levels are as I bet a lot of people get it wrong ..

or their profit levels if people over-calculate the new rent....?

Yes that too, just all seems bizarre to me. I was coming from the angle of how unfair it is to chase arrears when it isn’t really the resident’s fault if the rent payment amount isn’t calculated. As I said, seems utterly lazy and irresponsible on the HA’s part. 

I agree it feels (is?) unfair, but bottom line is that when signing the TA the tenant agreed

a) to pay the starting rent, and

b) to have that rent increase annually by an an amount that could be calculated well in advance (Sept, for an April increase).

And I'm equally sure that if the T contacts the HA during that 6 month period they will assist with the calculation and/or calculate it for her, as would any number of charities, friends, family, local councillor, neighbour or even wierd stranger on the internet!

So placed on the scale of landlord misdemeanors in either the public or private sector, this sits well down near the 'not a huge deal' end of the scale!

tinytiddles

canaldumidi said:

tinytiddles said:

canaldumidi said:

tinytiddles said:

...

I’d be intrigued to know what their rent arrears levels are as I bet a lot of people get it wrong ..

or their profit levels if people over-calculate the new rent....?

Yes that too, just all seems bizarre to me. I was coming from the angle of how unfair it is to chase arrears when it isn’t really the resident’s fault if the rent payment amount isn’t calculated. As I said, seems utterly lazy and irresponsible on the HA’s part. 

I agree it feels (is?) unfair, but bottom line is that when signing the TA the tenant agreed

a) to pay the starting rent, and

b) to have that rent increase annually by an an amount that could be calculated well in advance (Sept, for an April increase).

And I'm equally sure that if the T contacts the HA during that 6 month period they will assist with the calculation and/or calculate it for her, as would any number of charities, friends, family, local councillor or even neighbour.

So placed on the scale of landlord misdemeanors in either the public or private sector, this sits well down near the 'not a huge deal' end of the scale!

I think you missed the bit where I said I work in social housing so am mildly familiar with the concept of a tenancy agreement and the requirement to pay rent. 

What I actually said was that it is lazy on the HA’s part to expect the tenant to calculate the remaining rent to pay following deductions of housing benefit / known universal credit (we don’t always get told when a tenant is on UC). Social rents more often than not have service charges which have to be legally notified separately and can be an absolute buggers muddle when you have debits and credits in any given year due to variable charges - this all has to be itemised.

Anyway OP get your Mum to speak to her Housing Officer as I’m sure they will help with this. I’m checking out now. 

Selidie

Thanks for all the replies, I don't get a change to check during the day so only read these now.

They ask her to tell them what the rent payment should be, not what she can afford.  Essentially, the letter is asking her to work it all out and tell them what they should be charging.

Saffron housing through my mum are my only experience with housing authorities etc, so its not something I know much about.  I also live 100+ miles away from her so not always easy to get all the details, hopefully she is going to send me a copy of the letter from this year, last year it was mostly via email.

I will keep looking into it  

Selidie

tinytiddles said:

OK so I work for a housing association and personally I would say this is a ridiculous and lazy way for them to go about it. By comparison, my association calculates the new rent and service charges each year, then nets off any housing benefit / known universal credit payments and then advises at the bottom what the new weekly payment is (if any). I thought everyone did it that way, goes to show that every day is a school day. 

That is what I would assume should be the right way to do it, as you say, every day is a school day