Bassetlaw council housing rents set to rise from April

At a meeting of Bassetlaw Council’s cabinet on January 9, councillors approved a recommendation for a rent increase of 7.7 per cent for 6,551 council homes from April.

The rent increase comes against a backdrop of increased costs of maintenance, labour and materials experienced by the council over the last 12 months.

In addition, the council is incurring further costs as we work towards meeting the Government’s energy efficiency targets for Social Housing, with all properties requiring an EPC C rating by 2035.

The majority of tenants (70 per cent) will be unaffected by rents going up as this will be covered by benefit increases, including housing benefit.

The lowest change in rent will be an increase of £4.19 per week for a small property and the highest an increase of £9.04 per week for a large property.

This will mean that the average rent for social general needs housing in Bassetlaw will be £89.97 per week or £397.36 per month in 2024/25. In comparison the average monthly private rent in Bassetlaw is £640.40.

All rent collected by the council is reinvested back into its housing service and funds Decent Homes improvements including new kitchens, bathrooms, windows, doors, energy-efficient heating systems and maintaining internal and external communal areas.

Last year the council carried out 17,235 repairs and invested £9m in tenants’ homes.

Essential safety measures such as gas and electrical servicing are also funded through rents, whilst meeting the requirements of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and the Building Safety Act have significantly driven up costs in relation to fire safety.

Coun Jonathan Slater (Lab), cabinet member for housing, said: “The economic situation over the past two years has continued to mean shortages of labour and materials throughout the country which in turn increased prices, particularly within the construction industry.

“Unfortunately, the council is not insulated from inflation and price rises.

"Rent increases, in line with the Government’s National Social Rent Policy are necessary if we are to continue to invest in and maintain our tenants’ homes.

“Our rents continue to represent good value for money compared to the private sector and we will continue to invest in our tenants’ homes.

"We will also continue to provide important support services such as our money advisor service, tenancy sustainment service and our 24-hour tenant support and wellbeing service which helps those seeking advice on financial issues, legal related issues, mental ill health and other health concerns.”

Tenants with any queries regarding rents or who are experiencing difficulties paying their rent, should call the customer services team on 0800 590542.