In 2001, the Government introduced a 10 year plan to bring rents for council houses and those of other social landlords into line with each other, taking account of:

• The value of the property
• The number of bedrooms
• Local earnings

Rents for similar properties in the same area will eventually be similar, whether the landlord is the Council or any other social housing provider.

In 2002, councils set a target rent for each of their properties. Rents were to be moved towards the target over 10 years. The target is adjusted for inflation every year.

Due to rents being set very differently in the past, some tenants have seen their rents increase very little or even fall, while others, particularly those renting larger properties, have seen an increase above inflation.

During 2005, a government review of the plan showed that target rents needed to be increased to reflect large rises in property prices since the start of the plan, and that there was still not a big enough difference between rents of larger and smaller properties. This means that all tenants will now see an increase in their rent for 2006 / 2007. Generally, smaller properties will be subject to much lower increases.

South Derbyshire District Council's average rent will increase by 5% to £52.28 per week. This compares with the country's average of £57.75 per week.

For further information contact:
Housing Services
South Derbyshire District Council
Civic Offices
Civic Way
Swadlincote
Derbyshire
DE11 0AH

Tel: 01283 595806
Fax: 01283 595852
Online: online enquiry form
Email: housing@south-derbys.gov.uk

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