Understanding rent changes
Have you received a letter from us about a change to your rent?
Find everything you need to know here

TENANTS

Understand your rent changes FAQs 

The money we get from rent payments is used to fund the services we provide. Without it, we can’t do what we do. So for us to be able to keep helping people, it’s really important that we get rent charges right.

We re-invest the rent that you pay by maintaining and improving our homes and supporting our communities.

Take a look at some frequently asked questions below to help you understand why your rent might be changing.

How can I feed back on the proposed rent and service charge increase?

We will write to all tenants advising of the proposed rent increase. Within this letter will be a feedback questionnaire that should be completed and returned to us.

Our Management Committee will then agree new rents after carefully considering our customers consultation feedback and as part of our business and financial planning. This process is followed every year.

If you have any questions about this consultation please contact us.

How do I know if my rent has changed?

Your new rent amount is explained in the letter which is sent following our Management Committee's decision.

We’ll always send you a letter to let you know before any changes are made.

What will my new rent be?

Don’t worry, we’ll always send you a letter before any of the changes happen so you have plenty of time to prepare. Your new rent amount will be explained in the letter you receive.

If you need support with your finances our Benefits Advisor can help.

When will I start paying the new rent?

You’ll start paying your new rent amount from the 28th March.

If you pay by Direct Debit then you don’t need to do anything as we’ll make the changes to your monthly payment. If you're not already paying by Direct Debit it's easy to set up, complete our form and we'll get it started for you.

I claim Universal Credit. What do I need to do?

If you claim Universal Credit to help pay for your rent, then you’ll need to contact the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to tell them about any changes.

Using the letter we’ve sent you, you can inform the DWP in the following ways:

If you use an online claimant journal, you’ll be sent a ‘to-do’ prompt. This will tell you how to make any changes to your claim.

If not, you should use your journal to tell your job coach that you’ve received our letter and that your rent will be changing. You can do this by:

  1. logging on to your universal credit account
  2. clicking on Home
  3. then choose ‘report a change of circumstances’
  4. click on ‘where you live and what it costs’
  5. click on ‘something else’
  6. change total household rent and the date of the change (28th March 2021)
  7. click change

If you’ve lost a letter we’ve sent you about your rent, please get in touch to ask for a new one.

And remember not to leave it too late - any delays might mean that your benefits aren't being calculated correctly. You’re responsible for paying your rent on time so it’s important that you make sure you’re getting the right amount to help you keep up with your payments.

Who will notify Housing Benefit about my rent increase?

Williamsburgh will notify Housing Benefit about the proposed rent and service charge increase.