Trident Housing Association (Trident) is a not-for-profit Housing provider, we do not make profits for shareholders, instead we invest all the income we receive into delivering housing.
The cost-of-living crisis and rising bills have affected everyone. Trident has also seen cost increases in several areas. The cost of delivering maintenance, planned maintenance, and developing new homes have seen increases. This is a result of rising cost of materials, supplies, and labour. The cost of energy as a business are also significantly higher, and costs are set to continue to rise. We are making further investment in the safety and servicing of our properties. We will also be making more money available to support tenants and communities.
We need to ensure we have enough income in order to continue developing and delivering services to all our customers. While we will continue to make efficiencies where we can, we will be increasing your rent from April 2023 to enable us to provide the best possible service we can to you.
Normally the annual rise in rents matches the rate of inflation, the CPI, plus 1%. However, the Government decided that rents can only be increased by a maximum of 7% this year. The Government Rent cap does not apply to Supported Housing.
How much will my rent increase by and how have you calculated this?
Rent levels for social housing are guided by the Government. This means Trident must set its rents in line with the Rent Standard and the policy statement on rents for social housing. As explained above, your rent will increase by 7% in general housing and by 11.1% in Supported Accommodation. This formed our budget setting and was approved by our Group Board.
You will receive a letter telling you how much your rent is increasing by as well as information on the service charge increases if you pay them, and how we can help with any financial worries.
Will I see any benefits in my home and local community?
Absolutely, the reason we are applying the rent increase is so that you will see benefits to your own home and in your wider neighbourhood and estates.
Through feedback from residents and results from our 2021 Satisfaction Survey, residents identified areas where they wanted to see improvements. The income received from rents will give us more options in delivering these. These are Investment and:
- improvement to safety and security of homes including security measures, doors and lighting;
- improvement to communal areas including décor, security, lighting, and cleaning;
- enhancement to homes including kitchens and bathrooms.
There will be further opportunities for you to tell us the areas where you feel investment is required in our 2023 Resident and Customer Satisfaction Survey which will be launched Spring/Summer 2023, it is especially important that you participate in this survey.
What help and advice is available if you are worried about paying your rent?
The past couple of years have been difficult for us all and ensuring you feel secure in your home is our absolute priority. The Income Management Team are working hard to support our residents in managing rent payments. However, your rent still needs to be paid; so, if you or your family’s ability to pay rent has been affected at all, please contact the Income Management Team urgently on 0300 123 1113 or email us at IncomeManagement@tridentgroup.org.uk
We will do all we can to help you find the best solution for your individual circumstances and the sooner you can contact our Income Management Team the sooner they may be able to help you. They can signpost to our Beacon of Hope fund as well as other specialist services and grants you may be eligible for or able to access plus support such as energy saving tips, discounts, and budgeting information.
Read more about Cost of Living Advice and how Trident are supporting residents.
Universal Credit
Universal Credit is a payment to help with your living costs. It is paid monthly and is replacing other forms of benefits. You may be eligible for Universal Credit if you are on a low income as well as if you are out of work or cannot work.
You can inform Universal Credit of your new rent by simply logging into your on-line journal and reporting this change of circumstance, with your journal providing an option to report a changing rent figure. It is important that you do this as soon as possible after 3 April 2023 and before the end of April 2023. Trident will then be asked to verify the increase on the Landlord portal.
If you do not currently get help via Universal Credit or Housing Benefit with paying your rent, you may find that you now fall into a category of people that will now qualify for help due to the increase in your weekly rent. Please check if you could be getting financial support by contacting our Income Management Team on 0300 123 1113 or email us at IncomeManagement@tridentgroup.org.uk.
You can also check online by using benefits calculators such as: https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/.
Even if you are not receiving benefits now, you could be entitled to them.