Information about your rent, service charges, and how to check your rent balance.
You will receive a rent statement every three months which lists the payments you have made. Any service charges are added to the rent. This includes things like cleaning, lighting and heating of communal areas.
Any changes to rent or service charges will happen annually in April. If your rent or service charges change, we will give you at least four weeks written notice.
Changes to your benefits may affect the amount of rent you pay.
Contact us as soon as possible if you are struggling to pay so we can give you rent advice and support.
If you have a joint tenancy, all named tenants are responsible for making sure the rent is paid. If one tenant leaves your home, they are still a joint tenant until the
tenancy is officially ended.
Problems paying your rent
It is very important to pay your rent on time so that you do not go into arrears.
Find out what help is available if you are worried about not being able to pay your rent.
Check your rent balance
You will need your rent reference number. This is nine digits long, and can be found on your rent payment card, on your rent statement, or any letters we have sent to you.
Online
View your rent account, check your balance and make payments on the Housing Self-Service Portal.
In person
Visit your local
Community Hub, Housing Office or One Stop Centre.
Phone
0800 188 4000 or 0113 376 0410
(Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9am to 5pm and Wednesday 10am to 5pm)
Rent increase 2023 to 2024
Why rent has gone up
It is necessary to increase rents each year to ensure that Housing Leeds is able to continue to cover increases in costs of providing essential services to tenants and properties including repairs and maintenance, property investment and tenancy and estate management services.
The new charges will become effective from the Monday 3 April 2023.
How much will rent increase by
We are increasing rent by 7%. The Government’s rent increase formula for social housing of Consumer Price Index (CPI) +1% would have given an allowable rent increase of up to 11.1%. However, following a consultation to cap social housing rent increases, it was announced by Government that rent increases would be capped at 7%.
Most service charges are increasing by 38% due to significant increases in energy costs to the council. Additional services may include lighting, heating or the cleaning of communal areas, lifts, communal furniture or facilities or heating charges.
Details of your new service charge will be outlined in the rent increase letter.
The amount being charged represents a contribution to the actual cost of providing the additional services and it is considered fairer that those tenants who receive additional services contribute towards these costs. This will help us to continue to invest in improving homes, estates and multi-storey blocks.
Retirement LIFE tenants
Support charges are reducing from 3 April 2023 to £8.51 per week. Following some updated guidance from the Department of Work and Pensions we have made some changes to how we charge for service charges for support.
How your rent is spent
The money you pay in rent goes towards the cost of providing you with the services you receive as a council tenant. The main items of expenditure are repairs and maintenance, loan charges, operating costs and employee costs.
Where each £1 comes from
| Income | Amount per £1 |
|---|
| Council home rents | £0.84 |
| Grants | £0.08 |
| Other income | £0.04 |
| Service charges | £0.03 |
| Other rents | £0.01 |
Where each £1 is spent
| Expenditure | Amount per £1 | Narrative |
|---|
| Building and improving homes | £0.24 | Includes building of new properties and making improvements to existing homes (for example, new kitchens) |
| Repairs and maintenance | £0.23 | The repairs and maintenance of council homes plus a small amount for housing office premises costs |
| Housing Management | £0.19 | This covers paying for staff, all the day to day costs of providing a landlord service, Discretionary Housing Payments, CCTV |
| Cost of borrowing | £0.17 | Finance costs associated with servicing Housing debt which allows us to invest more in homes |
| Supplies | £0.07 | Includes payments to PFI contractors, insurance and the housing office running costs |
| Central services | £0.07 | This includes support services such as providing for bad debts and specialist advice from Legal Services |
| Environmental maintenance | £0.03 | Used to pay for grounds maintenance and environmental services |
