Rent and Service Charges from 6 April 2009

Following a Council Cabinet meeting on 2 March 2009, the Council approved a recommendation to increase rents and services charges with effect from Monday 6 April 2009, in line with government guidelines.

If your tenancy commences before 6 April 2009, the rent and service charges will increase by the Retail Price Index (RPI) of 5% + 0.5% + £2.00 and service charges will increase by 5.5%.

If your tenancy commences on 6 April 2009 or after, the rent will increase to the formula target rent value set in line with government guidelines in 2000. The formula is complicated and is different for every council property and includes that property's individual valuation, prior year’s rent, local average wage and the rate of inflation. Service charges will increase by 5.5%.

If you require any further information regarding the new rent and service charges at your property, please contact the Housing Income Team, free from any land line on 0800 6335548.

How Your Rent is Worked Out

Charnwood Borough Council decides how much rent you should pay by using a formula that the government decided upon in April 2000 . This means that the majority of Council rents throughout the country are now set using the same formula. All rent increases from April 2003, have been determined using these guidelines. The government’s objectives were to make sure that rents throughout social housing remained affordable for the area.

This new formula is complicated and is different for every council property and includes that property's individual valuation, prior year’s rent, local average wage and the rate of inflation. If you want more details of how the formula is worked out please contact us on 01509 634666.

Service Charges

These are identified separately on your statement and cover the cost of any service you receive. These charges may include heating and a charge for communal facilities. You will receive a full breakdown of these charges at the beginning of the year.