Rent and charges
Rent and charges relating to your tenancy
Paying rent and charges for your home
We charge rent to enable us to deliver an efficient and effective service to customers and provide safe and secure homes. We understand that costs have increased, and if you require help and financial support please look at the help we can provide on our web pages or speak to us.
Our rental income also helps us maintain and manage our homes by carrying out essential repairs and future improvements.
Rent change for July 2024
For the majority of our customers there will be a rent increase this July.
Housing associations are not-for-profit organisations and increasing rent is always a difficult but measured decision. The rent we receive is important as it is this income that enables us to:
- maintain your home
- provide high standards of customer care
- build more affordable housing
For all customers who rent their home from us, the amount that we are able to increase your rent by is controlled by a central government calculation which is based on September 2023’s consumer price index (inflation) + 1% which means your rent increase will be 7.7%, unless restricted by a condition in your tenancy agreement.
We have had to put up costs because all of Westward’s costs are rising too.
No-one profits from the rent increase – there are no shareholders at Westward – it’s all reinvested in your homes and services.
We continue to try to make savings on the services that we provide to you.
This rent change will enable us to fund:
- Rising repair costs, as parts and service costs continue to increase
- Deliver essential safety compliance work
- New kitchens, bathrooms, windows, doors and heating systems
- Better insulation and roofing which makes homes warmer and cheaper to heat
- Staff costs
How we calculate the service charges you pay to us
Depending on where you live and the type of tenancy that you have with us, you may also have other charges, such as service charges, that are included within the total amount that you pay to us.
You can view your estate service charge statement here if you search for your estate name in alphabetical order.
Who you may need to tell
Your new rent will take effect from 1 July 2024 if you are on a monthly tenancy and from 3 July 2024 if you are on a weekly tenancy.
- If you pay by Housing Benefit you must tell your local council of the changes
- If you receive Universal Credit, either paid directly to you or to Westward, you must update your online Universal Credit account. This must be done on or just after the date of the change as the system cannot process the change in advance and any delay may result in under or over payments, which will need to be corrected
- If you pay by direct debit, we will change your payments for you
- If you use any other method of payment, you will need to amend the amount you pay taking into account the change in your rent
Please talk to us if you are worried
We know that this rent change comes at an extremely difficult time for so many and that is why we are here to help.
We are here to help you, if you are struggling and need some help and guidance talk to us. If you were not aware we have a household support fund, which is open to everyone. It is important that you contact us you feel that you are going to be struggling with the increasing financial pressure that is being impacted on everyone. We will do what we can to support you.
If you are struggling to afford your rent or have any concerns about how the change to your rent will impact you financially, please contact us as soon as possible.
We can:
- provide financial advice and support
- agree a personalised rent payment plan
- direct you to other agencies who may be able to help
- and, in manyinstances, may be able to offer immediate financial assistance through our Household Support Fund
If you have some debt to clear on your rent or charges, you can make an arrangement to pay an amount you can manage, regularly, until you have paid it off in full.
Make or change an arrangement to pay
You have probably considered many options already but we urge you to read Money Advice & Help for ways that we and other organisations may be able to support you.
RENT AND SERVICE CHARGES FAQ
Our FAQ is based on what our customer hub advisors say they are most often asked, so you can find the answers to many commonly asked questions about rent change.
When is my rent due?
The majority of Westward tenancies require you to pay rent either weekly or monthly.
For weekly tenancies, the rent on your home is due on Monday in advance of the upcoming week.
For monthly tenancies, the rent on your home is due on the first day of the month in advance of the upcoming month.
Your tenancy agreement will state if your rent is charged weekly or monthly.
How is my rent calculated?
The rent that is charged on your home will depend on several factors that may include:
- The value of the property
- The number of bedrooms within the property
- The type of tenancy that you hold with us
- The area that the property is within
The different types of tenancy that we offer are as follows:
- Social Rented Tenancy - often referred to as ‘assured’ or ‘assured shorthold’. The rent for these properties was initially set taking into account the value of the property, number of bedrooms and local earnings. The amount that we can increase the rents each year for these properties is capped by the government to ensure that the rent that is charged is fair and consistent.
- Affordable & Intermediate Tenancy - the rent that we are able to charge for these tenancies is capped at 80% of the market within the local area.
- Secure Tenanciy - a very small number of customers have ‘secure’ or ‘protected’ tenancies. If this applies to you, your ‘fair rent’ is fixed by the independent 'rent service' every two years.
- Supported Housing Tenancy - this is where we let to support customers either under a licence, or, on an assured shorthold basis. The rent that is charged for these homes follows the same rules as our social rented tenancies.
What happens if things change and I can't pay?
Our team are here to help as much as we can.
If you fall behind with your rent payments because you are struggling financially due to the impact of the cost of living crisis, you will not lose your home so long as you are talking to us and working with us.
We just need you to ask us to get in touch by clicking on the Contact Us link above. If you are struggling…don’t hesitate, do it now. Book that conversation!
If you are a support service user, please arrange this through your support / housing worker.
We helped hundreds of customers during the pandemic. We are here to help now.
So please call us on 0300 100 1010 or get in touch below:
If you think or know that your rent account is in arrears and you have not set up a manageable arrangement to pay it off with us, it is very important that you contact us. We will make sure that you feel you can manage the payments and that they are realistic for you.
Service Standards: Paying rent and service charges
We will:
- Tell you what you need to pay and offer you options of ways to pay rent and service charges.
- Contact you as soon as possible when we know that your payments are not up to date, setting out what you should do and by when.
- Offer to help you to maximise your income, reduce financial hardship and prevent you from becoming homeless.
- Make transparent the information about how we set rent and service charges.
- Offer you a personalised repayment plan taking into account your circumstances.
We ask you to:
- Pay rent and service charges in line with legal contracts, and any other recharges that are due.
- Tell us as soon as there are any changes in your circumstances or if you are not able to pay any charges due.
- Keep to agreed repayment plans to clear arrears.
