Up until March 2002, social landlords in different areas used slightly different ways of setting rents (such as points systems). This meant that it was not always possible to compare the rents of different landlords, including those in neighbouring areas.
The government wants rents charged by social landlords (which includes this Council) to be fair and affordable. The Government believes that rents should:
- Remain affordable in the future.
- Generally be well below those charged by private landlords.
- Be linked to size, location and condition of the home.
- Be similar to rents for other Council and housing association properties of a similar size, location and condition.
Following consultation with Councils and housing associations, the government produced a formula for setting rents which takes into account:
- The value of the property.
- The number of bedrooms in the property.
- Local earnings.
This rent is known as the 'formula' or 'target rent'. Broxtowe Borough Council owns approximately 4,600 properties and a formula rent must be calculated for each of its properties.
The rents currently charged by the Council are different to the formula rents for each of its properties. The authority is continuing to move towards formula rents gradually over a period of years.
The higher the property value, the more bedrooms a property has and the higher the local earnings, then the higher the rent will be. The opposite is also true.
In addition to rent, other charges you may have to pay include:
- Heating costs if your individual property is part of a communal heating scheme.
- Supporting people charges following a government programme launched in April 2003 to provide supporting people services. As part of this programme, new tenants moving into a Council property as from 1 April 2005, and who are not on benefit, will be required to pay a charge if they receive the services of a warden. Different rates apply depending upon the level of service received.
- Garage charges.
- Insurance charges if you have decided to join the Council's Contents Insurance Scheme.
Changes in Your Rent
We will write to inform you of any changes to your rent, detailing the revised rent figure and the reasons for the change. We will give you four weeks notice of any changes in the amount of rent due. If you are claiming housing benefit, the Council's Benefits Section should recalculate your entitlement automatically and inform you of any changes
Further Information
If you require further information, please contact the Council.
Address:
Broxtowe Borough Council, Rents and Recovery Section, Council Offices, Foster Avenue, Beeston, Nottinghamshire, NG9 1AB
Send to Friend
Print Page
Listen to Page
Share
