Rent and service charges: England

Rent is our main source of income and helps us to provide essential services such as maintenance, repairs, and housing management. It also enables us to continue investing in our Communities. The income we receive from rents ensures we can keep services running and meet the demand for repairs. We’re also committed to delivering planned improvement works in homes and investing in both existing homes and new builds to address the growing need for affordable housing. 

The rent you pay depends on the type of home and tenancy you have. We manage a variety of home and tenancy types with different start dates, even within the same areas. This sometimes results in differences in rent charges where properties and tenancy agreements are not the same. Your rent is reviewed in line with the terms set out in your tenancy agreement.   

Please visit our online portal where you can register to manage your account online. You will need your payment reference number for this which can be found on your letter.

Having an online account makes it even easier to manage your home with us. It's free, easy to register and you get all these great benefits:

• Manage your money: check your account, history, and payments
• Access anytime: 24/7, 365 days a year
• Safe and secure: protected with the latest security software and password protection
• Cut down on paper: reduce post, save on filing and help the environment
• Stay up to date: easily update your personal details, such as phone numbers and email addresses

If you need help setting up your account, you can email us at inclusion@placesforpeople.co.uk or request a call back by calling us on 01772 666246.

If you live in a home where services are provided to any part of your building or Community, you’ll pay a charge to cover the costs of delivering those services.   

Your service charge helps pay for things that keep your home and Community safe, well-maintained, and desirable places to live, for example, grounds maintenance, fire safety equipment, staff support, and communal utilities such as gas, electricity, and water. It also covers lift maintenance, health and safety checks, and the management needed to deliver these services. 

Before the start of each financial year, we estimate the cost of the services provided and charge you for your share of that estimate. These estimates are worked out using information from our contractors and by analysing past costs. Charges reflect the costs of delivering these services; there is no profit included in service charge amounts. 

Your service charge covers the cost of maintaining our buildings and caring for the shared areas around your home. Service charges are reviewed annually and can increase or decrease based on several factors, for example, inflation or market changes, supplier and contractor price changes, material costs, overheads and service level.  

Our aim is to ensure you know exactly what you’re paying for and how these charges contribute to your Community.  

Your annual utility charges are based on usage and take into account inflation as well as the contract prices set by utility companies. It covers the cost of electricity and power, for example, power to lifts, communal boilers, air source heat pumps and water pumps. Also, the cost of fuel charges for the communal areas and hot water.  

We regularly review and negotiate contracts with energy providers. This includes checking multiple suppliers and choosing the most competitive option available. Locking in contracts early when prices are favourable allows us to protect Customers from sudden increases and keep charges more stable.

Your Council Tax covers the cost of regular refuse collections.  However, when abandoned items such as old sofas, fridges, or washing machines cannot be collected through normal services, we have a duty of care under health and safety regulations to keep areas around your Community clear of bulky or abandoned items. There is a cost to collect these items.   

We encourage all Customers to book bulk item collections directly with your local council to keep these charges as low as possible. 

The administration charge covers the costs of managing the services we provide. This includes our People’s time, the systems we use, and the offices needed to deliver these services effectively.

This charge covers at least one of the following: lightning protection, door servicing, electronic gate servicing, washer, or dryer ventilation servicing.

This charge helps cover the cost of wear and tear, replacement or provision of communal items such as carpets, furniture, grit boxes, washing machines or washing lines.

We carry out a tree survey on all communal trees in your Community. We also collect for tree maintenance and associated works, as specified in the survey results we receive. 

These tree works and surveys are essential to ensure the health and safety of trees in communal areas. By managing this work, we help keep your Community clean, safe, and tidy for everyone. 

What is a heat network? 

Your home is heated by a communal heat network, which supplies heating and hot water to multiple homes from a central system. This means you don’t have your own individual boiler. 

How are my heating and hot water charges worked out? 

In some homes, heating and hot water are not individually metered. Instead of being billed on usage, your charge reflects your share of the total cost of running the heat network. These costs are reviewed each year and are based on energy prices, fuel costs, and inflation. Charges are collected through your service charge and are set on a not-for-profit basis. 

What are communal utility charges? 

Communal charges cover energy used in shared areas and equipment, such as lifts and communal lighting, pumps and plant rooms, boilers or air source heat pumps serving the building. These costs are also included in your service charge. 

Who regulates heat networks? 

From 1 April 2025, Customers can contact the Energy Ombudsman for independent advice if a complaint can’t be resolved with us. 

From 27 January 2026, Ofgem will formally regulate heat networks, introducing stronger consumer protections. 

What if I have a concern? 

Please contact Places for People first so we can try to resolve your issue. If we’re unable to do so, you can contact the Energy Ombudsman for free, independent support. 

All service charges are assessed in line with Housing Benefit regulations to determine which charges, if any, can be covered by Housing Benefit.

We’ll provide a breakdown in your annual increase letter to show you what’s eligible. Services marked as “HBE” (Housing Benefit Eligible) can be paid through Housing Benefit, while those marked as “HBI” (Housing Benefit Ineligible) cannot. This is decided by Housing Benefit Regulations.

The Universal Credit Housing Costs element may include an amount towards service charges. These service charges must be a condition of your rent or leasehold agreement. If you have any questions about the eligibility of your service charges, you should contact the Universal Credit Service Centre on 0800 328 5644 in the first instance.

The amount you pay will depend on the type of agreement, start date of tenancy and type of home you have with us. If you don’t know what type of tenancy you have, your tenancy or lease agreement will tell you.   

 Social housing  

In 2025, the Government set a rent policy for social housing in England that allows housing providers to increase social housing rent by up to Consumer Price Index (CPI)+1% per year. This policy remains in place until 2035. With a CPI of 3.8% in September 2025, the rent increase in April 2026 will be 4.8%. 

 Affordable tenancy 

Rents for affordable tenancies are set at 80% of the local market rent when a new tenancy begins. These rents are also regulated by the Government. For April 2026, increases will be based on Consumer Price Index of 3.8% as of September 2025 +1%, resulting in a 4.8% increase.  

If there are any chargeable services provided, they are included in the overall rent.  

Specialised supported accommodation and temporary accommodation 

Some social tenancies, such as specialised supported accommodation and temporary accommodation, are exceptions to the Government’s rent regulation. These increases are based on the Retail Price Index (rather than the Consumer Price Index) of 4.5% as of September 2025 +1%, giving an increase of 5.5%. 

Other exceptions include Customers living in some student accommodation, registered nursing care, care homes and refuge accommodation.  

Market rent, mortgage rescue and shared ownership  

For these types of homes, rent reviews will be determined by the relevant clause in your lease or tenancy agreement. This will specify how much the rent can increase. 

If your tenancy includes 4 rent free weeks, rent will not be charged on your account for the weeks commencing: 

• 6 April 2026
• 21 December 2026
• 28 December 2026
• 29 March 2027 

If you are charged weekly and pay monthly, please multiply the weekly charge by 48 then divide by 12 to get the amount to pay each month. 

If your tenancy includes 2 rent free weeks, rent will not be charged on your account for the weeks commencing: 

• 6 April 2026
• 21 December 2026 

If you are charged weekly and pay monthly, please multiply the weekly charge by 50 then divide by 12 to get the amount to pay each month. 

If you pay monthly by Direct Debit your payments are calculated to give you equal instalments each month, with the rent-free weeks taken into account when the instalments are calculated. 

In January 2026, the government confirmed that it will reintroduce social rent convergence. This policy lets social landlords such as Places for People (PfP) increase rents that are currently below the government’s ‘formula rent’, so that they gradually align to this target level. (Formula rent is the maximum that could be charged when a property is re-let to a new Customer. It is based on the property size, value and local income levels).  

After consultations, the government concluded that rent convergence was necessary to create the investment needed for maintaining and building social housing. This phased approach to increasing rents aims to balance affordability for Customers with the financial stability required by housing associations and councils to support long term supply and quality of social housing. Reinvesting the additional income will ensure Customers continue to benefit from safe, quality, well maintained homes.

How will this impact Customers?  

This policy which will allow us to increase rents over and above the standard annual CPI +1%, does not come into effect until April 2027, so has no impact on the 2026/27 rent review.  

Starting April 2027, social rents can be increased by an extra £1 per week on top of the CPI +1%. From April 2028, this rises to CPI + 1% plus £2 per week. These small annual increases continue until the property’s rent meets the ‘formula rent’ level.  

Rent convergence only applies to social rent homes that are currently below ‘formula rent’, so not all Customers will be impacted.   

Many social rent homes have over the years fallen below the ‘formula rent’ level, creating a difference between what Customers are paying. Rent convergence aims to make sure social housing Customers pay similar rents for similar properties.  

Read more about rent convergence.  

Universal Credit  

If you claim Universal Credit, you’ll need to report this change using your online Universal Credit account or by calling the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644, quoting your new rent and service charge amounts.    

 Please do not report the change until on or after 1 April 2026 (if you are charged monthly) or 6 April 2026 (if you are charged weekly). When you report this, we’re asked to confirm the amounts, and the date of the change.

If you report it too early the update will be rejected, and you’ll need to report it again once the new charge starts. If you report it too late, after the end of your assessment period, Universal Credit will not backdate the change, and you’ll have to pay the difference.  

Housing Benefit   

Please contact your Local Authority to report the change. Some local Housing Benefit departments may accept an email or posted copy from you, please check with them first.  

 Direct Debit   

We’ll amend your payment automatically and send you a separate letter confirming your Direct Debit instalment amounts in mid-March 2026.   

 Standing Order   

We cannot change your standing order for you. You need to contact your bank direct. You may be able to do this:  

• Online - if you’ve created an online account with your bank 
• By phone – if you’ve set up telephone banking 
• In branch – check current opening hours  

If you’ve a repayment agreement in place, you’ll need to add this amount onto the new charge.  

If you would like to start making payments by Direct Debit, you can download a Direct Debit mandate or call us on 01772 666444, and we can set this up for you over the telephone. 

We want to support Customers who may need help if they are experiencing financial difficulty or may find themselves experiencing financial difficulty because of the changes to the charges. If you would like to talk to us about the support available, please contact our Customer Contact Centre on 01772 666246 as soon as possible. You can also find help and resources on our Cost of Living support page.

If you don’t currently receive Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, you should check whether you’re now entitled to it following the change to your charges. You can do so by visiting https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators or by calling the Universal Credit Service Centre on 0800 328 5644.    

These are the questions asked most often by our Customers. If these do not answer your question, please:

• Send us an email to rent.changes@placesforpeople.co.uk
• Call our Customer Service team on 01772 666246. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm (excluding Bank Holidays).