Highland Council is pushing for an 8% rent increase, saying it won’t hit tenants too hard, even as concerns about affordability grow.
The council argues that even with this increase, their rents are still lower than the national average for social housing. They’re talking about an extra £372 a year, which breaks down to about £7.17 a week.
They had considered a 10% hike but settled on 8%. The last time they raised rents this much was back in 2018 when it was only 2.5%.
Before this can happen, the council needs to get the thumbs up from their housing and property committee, which is set to meet on January 29.
Interestingly, they’re facing a bit of a pickle with rent arrears hitting nearly £4.5 million this year. That’s a lot of unpaid rent, and it’s got to be a concern for everyone involved.
The council says they’ve got to balance their budget while also making sure they can keep up with housing needs and support the community. They believe the impact on tenants will be minimal since their rents are still much lower than private rentals.
They also mentioned that they have systems in place to help tenants manage their finances better, which is a good thing. Brian Cameron from the council explained that they need to keep the budget balanced, especially with rising costs for services.
So, it looks like this rent hike is on the table, and it’ll be interesting to see how tenants react as the meeting date approaches.
