Frequently Asked Questions about Cannock Chase Council’s Social
Housing Rent Increase 2021/22
Why are you increasing my rent?
We fully understand that any increase to your rent will not be good news. A revised
rent setting policy for social landlords for the next 4 years was announced by the
Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) on 4 October 2017,
whereby increases to social housing rents will be limited to the Consumer Price
Index (CPI). The CPI rate used will be from the September of the previous financial
year as set out in the Government’s rent standard.
Therefore rents set in April 2021 are allowed to be increased by an amount up to the
Consumer Price Index (CPI) set in September 2020, which was 0.5%, plus 1%.
We have given the rent increase a lot of thought and we believe that in order to
deliver our commitments as set out in the Housing Revenue Account (HRA)
Business Plan we need to maximise the money we receive from rents and therefore
need to apply the increase of 1.5% i.e. the CPI (0.5%) plus 1%.
Do you have to increase my rent?
No, we don’t have to increase your rent, we could leave it as it is. However, this
would mean spending less on our housing stock. Within our HRA Business Plan for
2021/22 we have budgeted for the rent increase from April 2021, which means we
can deliver our promises to build more new homes, improve our neighbourhoods and
invest in our existing Council homes. If we keep your rent as it is we simply cannot
deliver on these priorities and we would have to make some tough choices to either
build fewer new homes, to invest less in existing Council homes, or do less in your
neighbourhoods - and we don’t think this would be fair.
By how much are you increasing my rent and how have you calculated this?
As explained above, your rents will increase by CPI +1%, that is 0.5% plus 1%,
which equals 1.5%. We will write to you at the end of February to confirm how much
your weekly rent payment will be for 2021/22.
What will you spend the additional rental income on?
We have set out in our HRA Business Plan what we want to achieve over the next 3
years. The additional money we are able to raise from rents means we are on track
to deliver these objectives. We will keep you informed regularly on how we are
performing against the HRA Business Plan in the Annual Report to Tenants and
Leaseholders.
Will I see any benefits in my home and local community?
Absolutely, the reason we are applying the rent increase is so that you will see
benefits to your own home but also in your wider neighbourhood and estates.
What do I do if I can’t afford the increase?
Our priority is to support tenants to sustain their tenancies and we want to help
prevent rent arrears or other debts. We have a dedicated Tenancy Sustainment
Service and Income Management Team working alongside the local Citizens Advice
team who are trained to ensure you have maximised your benefits, help you manage
your finances and support you through changes to income or circumstances.
Please take advantage of this service now to help you prepare well ahead of the rent
increase.
Your tenancy agreement states that you pay your rent in advance.
Will I lose my home?
2020 was a difficult year for us all and ensuring you feel secure in your home is our
absolute priority. We want to reassure you that no-one will lose their home as a
result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Income Management Team are working hard to support Cannock Chase
tenants through this difficult time and are there for those affected by Coronavirus.
However, your rent still needs to be paid; so, if you or your family’s ability to pay rent
has been affected by Coronavirus, please contact the Income Management Team
urgently on 01543 462621.
We will do all we can to help you find the best solution for your individual
circumstances.
Is my rent always charged over 52 weeks?
Occasionally (about every 5 to 6 years) the rent year has 53 weeks instead of 52
weeks, to keep in line with the calendar year. When this happens, you need to
calculate your monthly payment by multiplying by 53, not 52. We will warn you in
advance when this occurs.
Can I have a breakdown of how you will spend my rent?
We commit to providing a full breakdown of how we spend your rent over the next 12
months. We will do this in our Annual Report to Tenants and Leaseholders, which we
will publish on our website.
Can I have a Rent Statement?
Currently you can view your rent statement at any time online by registering on the
Council’s website at ‘Housing Online’. You can see the balance on each of your
accounts, along with the current charge details. If you wish to see a full statement,
click on the link against the account and it will show you all of your transactions. If
you do not have a computer, tablet, smart phone or electronic device you can
contact the Income Management Team on 01543 464288 and they will send you a
rent statement.
I claim Universal Credit, will I have to re-apply and will this result in weeks of
delays in my rent being paid and accumulating rent arrears?
We appreciate that completing a Universal Credit claim can be very stressful and
facing weeks of delays for any benefit payment is something we want to avoid.
Please be assured you will not have to complete a brand new claim with the
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Once we write to inform you about your
new rent you will simply need to inform them of this via the DWP portal (under ‘Your
Journal’, just upload proof of the letter) or by visiting your local Job Centre after the
rent increase has been applied. It is important that you do this soon after 1 April
2021 as we will then be asked to verify the increase on the Landlord portal. Please
inform the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in your assessment period.
What if Universal Credit doesn’t cover the rent increase?
If your Universal Credit allowance doesn’t cover the additional rent increase, we
strongly recommend that you make an appointment to see a member of our Income
Management Team or contact Citizens Advice who can help you budget for the
increase or establish if DWP have including your new rent in your assessment.
I don’t claim benefits; do I have to adjust my Direct Debit mandate with my
bank or will you do this automatically for me?
You don’t need to worry, your Direct Debit will be adjusted automatically by our
Income Management Team – you don’t have to do anything. When we write to you
at the end of February notifying you of your rent increase, we will tell you this.
I don’t pay by Direct Debit; do I have to adjust my standing order with my bank?
You will need to work out your new rent payments to change your standing order or
your regular payments.
For example how to work out monthly rent - Week rent of £71.00 x 52 weeks = yearly
rent £3,692, divide by 12 for the monthly rent = £307.67
We strongly recommend that you contact our Income Management Team who can
help work out how much you should be paying and when.
Can my rent ever go down?
It is the Government who sets the national rent formula that Councils are required to
follow.
What is the timescale for this rent increase?
The new rent increase notice letters informing you of the rent increase will be sent
out to you with a minimum of one month’s notice. We will usually aim to have the
letters delivered by the beginning of March 2021.
Rent increases will then apply from 5 April 2021
If you would like to make any comments on the proposed rent increase or have any
further questions then please contact the Income Management Team on:
Telephone: 01543 462621
Email: rents@cannockchasedc.gov.uk
After reading FAQs could you please take the time to answer the survey below. Closes on 05.04.21, any other comments please contact serviceimprovement@cannockchasedc.gov.uk .
Last Updated: 05/02/2021
