Cheshire West & Chester Council have approved your rent increasing by 7.7% from 1 April 2024. We have written to you to tell you the new amount you will be paying from this date. Like all Council and Social Housing Providers, we follow the Government’s guidelines on rent-setting. We work it out by taking the previous September’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate, which was 6.7% in September 2023 and adding 1% to it.    

Yes, Cheshire West & Chester Council have approved an increase of 7.7% from 1 April 2024.  We have written to tell you the new amount you will be paying from this date. 

No, Cheshire West & Chester Council have approved a rent increase of 7.2% from 1 April 2024.  We have written to tell you the new amount you will be paying from this date. 

The decision to increase rents has been a difficult one, particularly with the rising cost of living. Rents are increasing as we need to balance this increase with the rising costs of maintaining and repairing homes and providing quality services. Without the rent increase, it’s likely that the Council would have to significantly slow down or stop these plans.   

CPI – the Consumer Price Index – is a figure used to measure inflation. It reflects how much the price of common goods and services changes over time across the UK. CPI has reduced since last year, however, there is no restriction on the calculation of CPI of 6.7% plus 1% being applied from April 2024.  Last year the Government introduced a 7% cap on rent increases, which meant that rent increase last year could not go above this figure, this restriction was a one year cap because the cost of goods and services had considerably increased and would have placed last year’s rent increase at 11.1% without the restriction in place.   

We want to work with you to understand any difficulties you may have in paying your rent or if you’re struggling with the rising cost of living. If you have concerns, then please complete an online enquiry form or call us on 0300 123 5522. We’ll do all we can to support you. 

This depends on how you pay your rent:  

Direct debit 

You don’t need to do anything; your payment will change automatically. 

Standing order  

You need to contact your bank and change your standing order to the new rent amount from 1 April. 

Phone or any other method 

You need to change the amount of rent you pay from 1 April. 

I receive housing benefit  

You don’t need to do anything as we will inform the Housing Benefit department of the increase. It is important that you check your new Housing Benefit award letter that you will receive to make sure the amount is correct. 

I receive Universal Credit  

You must notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of your rent increase on Monday 1 April through your online journal. It’s important to note that you won’t be able to let them know the rent change earlier than this date. 

Your rent pays for all services, repairs, maintenance and improvements to Council homes. This includes: 

• Support and advice for tenants 
• Tenant wellbeing service 
• Managing estates and dealing with complaints 
• Collecting rents 
• Day-to-day repairs 
• Improvement to homes e.g. roof replacement, bathrooms, kitchens, central heating, rewiring, gas, electric and fire safety 
• Work on empty properties 
• Letting empty properties 

 The chart below shows how every £1 of rent is spent by Cheshire West & Chester Council: 

If you have concerns at all then please complete an online enquiry form or call us on 0300 123 5522. 

This means that the rent year has 53 weeks instead of 52, you will still receive your two rent free weeks (if you are not in arrears) however, in order to keep in line with the calendar year. From Monday 1 April 2024, the date your new rent starts from, you will need to pay for 51 Mondays rather than 50.   

No, as you are on Housing Benefit, they work out your entitlement weekly and pay your award weekly for the weeks that you are charged, you will need to ensure that if you are not entitled to full Housing Benefit, that you pay your shortfall using the same method we have shown you above. 

Yes, Universal Credit is calculated over a monthly period and in any financial year, will base their calculation on a maximum of 52 weeks, as there are 53 weeks in this financial year, there is one week you will need to make a payment for that is not covered by Universal Credit in the financial year. Please note that this is in addition to any shortfall you have in your award. If you are concerned about your rent account or the extra week’s payment, please contact us today. Our friendly income team are on hand to help and support you. 

This financial year is a 53-week rent year instead of 52, this is due to there being 53 Mondays during this financial year. As your rent is charged every Monday, there are 53 this year. 

Yes, you will still have your 2 rent free weeks, this means that as long as you are not in arrears, you will pay your rent over 51 weeks, rather than 50.  Please note that if you are in arrears, you should continue to make your payments during the rent free weeks to reduce your arrears debt. 

There are 52 weeks in a standard year, meaning 52 weekly charges. Every five to six years there are 53 Mondays in a year.  In 2024/2025, there is 53 Mondays in the year. 

If you pay by Direct Debit you don’t need to do anything, we will automatically change your payments to your account for the 53-week rent year. 

If you pay by standing order, then you need to make an adjustment to your monthly payments. 

To calculate how much rent you should be paying each month, you need to know how many “rent free” weeks you have in your tenancy agreement. Minus this number from 53 to give you the number of weeks rent you’ll need to pay over the year.  

Multiply your new weekly rent amount by the number of weeks you need to pay and then divide it by 12. 

For example, if you have 2 ‘rent free weeks’ throughout the year and your new rent is £105.00 per week. You would use the following calculation: 53 – 2 = 51 weeks, then multiply 51 by £105.00 = £5,355, and then divide it by 12 monthly payments = £446.25 per month. 

If you pay weekly, there will be an extra week of rent to pay.  

If you pay your rent every four weeks, you need to know how many “non charge” weeks you have in your tenancy agreement. Minus this number from 53 to give you the number of weeks rent you’ll need to pay over the year.  

Multiply your new weekly rent amount by the number of weeks you need to pay and then divide it by 13. 

For example, if you have 2 ‘non charge weeks’ throughout the year and your new weekly rent is £105.00