Trent & Dove rents to increase by 7.7% from April
From Monday 1 April 2024 the average weekly rent for a Trent & Dove tenant will increase from £107.25 per week to £115.51 (an average of £8.26 per week, charged over 48 weeks).
Trent & Dove owns and manages more than 6,500 affordable homes across East Staffordshire, South Derbyshire and North West Leicestershire. The 7.7 per cent increase is in line with Government guidelines that enable social landlords to use the September 2023 inflation figure of 6.7 per cent plus 1 per cent to set the 2024/25 increase for rent and service charges.
Service charges are paid by customers who live in a property with shared facilities and receive additional services such as grass cutting and cleaning and lighting of communal areas. Shared ownership customers will also see an increased based on the terms of their lease.
Ursula Bennion, CEO of Trent & Dove, said:
I understand that times can be particularly tough right now and like our customers, Trent & Dove experiences these impacts first-hand with increased costs in materials, labour and the running of our services, which in some cases have increased by more than 20 per cent.
This decision has not been an easy one. However, having consulted with our Customer Committee our Board carefully considered all the impacts and agreed that the increase is necessary for us to continue to deliver on our strategic plan commitments underpinned by our values of people, purpose and performance.
Importantly, I’d say to any customer that is struggling to manage their home or financially, our Tenancy Sustainment team might be able to help you. They can support with budgeting, benefit applications and applying for grants. Support is tailored to individual circumstances. So, please talk to your Income or Housing Officer for a referral to the Tenancy Sustainment team.
Trent & Dove is a not-for-profit social landlord, which means it reinvests any surplus it makes back into its homes and services. The rental income is used to maintain and improve existing homes and services, and to support the development of new homes. In 2022/23 Trent & Dove invested £15.7 million on repairs, maintenance and improvements to existing homes and £2.6 million on building new properties.
All Trent & Dove customers should receive their rent increase notice and supporting information in the post by Friday 19 February 2024. The pack includes information on what to do if you’re on benefits, how the rent money is spent, ways to pay your rent and available advice and support.
Customers can talk to Trent & Dove’s Income team on 01283 528528 or visit our rent increase page for further advice.