If you’re a Watford Community Housing tenant, we’ll write to you in February to confirm your rent and service charges for 2023/23. This page includes information on how these have been set.
When will I find out what my new rent and service charges will be?
You should have received a letter from us confirming what your new rent will be, as well as your service charges. If you have not heard from us, please call us on 0800 218 2247 or email enquiries@wcht.org.uk
Why has my rent changed?
Rents are increasing in line with guidance from the government, which affects social housing residents across the country.
In November 2022, the government announced a cap on rent increases for social housing tenants. This means that rent increases for 2023/24 are capped at 7%, even though price inflation is currently higher than this. The cap is designed to keep rent levels down for tenants, in response to rising living costs.
The government also announced that means-tested benefits, including Universal Credit, will rise by 10.1% from next April, in line with inflation. This means that tenants who receive these benefits will get more to help meet their household expenses, including their rent. If you receive Universal Credit, please make sure that you are receiving the correct amount to cover your updated housing costs, so that you do not fall into arrears. If there are any problems, you can report these through your Universal Credit account.
How are rents normally calculated?
Normally, the government allows social housing providers to increase rents in line with the Consumer Price Index, plus up to an additional 1% per year, so that their income keeps up with price inflation. However, because inflation is currently higher than it has been in previous years, this would have meant rent increases of more than 11% for 2023/24.
The rent cap keeps costs down for tenants, while ensuring that housing providers can afford to continue delivering the most important services.
What will this mean for tenants?
The rent cap means that your rent cannot increase by more than 7%. We have decided to apply the 7% cap to shared ownership and independent living customers too.
We are working to keep rents as affordable as possible for tenants. Every year, we review our rent levels against the cost of renting a home from a private landlord – for social rent customers, the average cost of renting a two-bedroom home from us is currently less than 40% of the cost charged on the open market.
What should I do if I am struggling to pay my rent?
Please talk to us. We can give you one-to-one assistance to help you manage your money, make sure you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to, and stay on top of your bills. We’re committed to supporting tenants and we won’t evict anyone as a result of financial hardship if they are engaging with us to keep their tenancy on track.
We also partner with a range of other organisations who can help, and we have a dedicated Welfare Fund to support customers with certain expenses. To find out more, call us on 0800 218 2247 or visit www.wcht.org.uk/moneyadvice.
Why do rents need to go up at all?
Rising prices affect us too, as it costs us more to provide services. The current high levels of inflation are leading to sharp increases in our costs for things like materials and parts to carry out repairs to tenants' homes. Rent rises are needed to ensure that we can continue to provide these vital services.
Will the rent cap affect the services Watford Community Housing provides?
As rents are being capped below the current level of inflation, we will have to consider where we can make savings on the services we provide.
Our focus will be on meeting our legal obligation to make sure all our homes are safe and of a decent standard, and maintaining the services that matter most to you.
What sort of changes could be made to services?
We have a legal obligation to provide core services to tenants, such as safety checks and certain types of repairs – these won’t be affected. However, by changing or removing some other services, we can ensure that we have the resources we need to keep delivering the things that are most important to tenants.
How is Watford Community Housing engaging with residents?
We are working closely with our Gateway Membership Team to offer opportunities for tenants, leaseholders and shared ownership customers to share their views about the services we provide.
Following the government's announcement, we carried out consultation events for tenants, shared ownership customers and leaseholders.
You can view presentations from these events here:
To give all residents the chance to comment, we also ran a survey, which was open for three weeks from 16 December 2022. The survey has now closed, but if you want to share any further comments please email community@wcht.org.uk.
When will I find out what my rent and service charges will be?
We will write to you by the end of February to confirm what your rent and service charges will change to from 1 April 2023.
Who will make the final decision over changes to services and when?
Ultimately, our Group Board is responsible for approving any plans to make changes to our service offering. It is made up of tenants, independent professionals and a Watford Borough Council nominee.
The Gateway Membership Team, which is made up of Watford Community Housing tenants, will have an opportunity to make recommendations to the Group Board. By getting involved with the consultation process set out above, you’ll be able to have your say before any decisions are made.
The Group Board’s priority will be to ensure we meet our regulatory obligations and maintain good-quality services where they are needed most, while making sure we remain financially sound for the future. Any changes to our services will be considered as part of our wider budget-setting process for the next financial year, and they will be approved at a Group Board meeting in March.
We will let you know about any changes that are agreed at the meeting through our usual communications channels, including on our website – www.wcht.org.uk.
Is Watford Community Housing financially secure?
Yes, we have the highest ratings available from the Regulator of Social Housing. We are rated V1 for financial viability and G1 for governance. While the current economic situation means we may have to make some difficult decisions, we’re committed to managing our resources efficiently so that we can continue to operate effectively and provide much-needed services to our customers.