Rent Increase 2026-27

Southend-on-Sea City Council (SCC) agreed to implement the increase for the 2026/27 rent year in line with the Government's revised limit and rents will increase by 4.8% from Monday 6th April 2026.

We fully understand that any increase in rent will not be good news, and it will have a significant impact on some of our tenants. We are here to help. Please contact us for advice and support on budgeting for the rent increase, by emailing sehcustomerservices@seh.southend.gov.uk. 

Service charge costs are set to cover the cost of providing a particular service to you and are not calculated using the rent calculation outlined above. Any change in your service charge will be a direct result of whether the cost of providing the service has increased, decreased, or stayed the same. We can provide you with a full breakdown of your service charges upon request.  

We aim to provide efficient well managed services and purchase services from other providers at the best rates possible so that any increases are kept to a minimum .

To help give residents a clearer understanding of the decision, how the rent will be used and the support available for tenants we have developed some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below.

What is the Government's approach to setting social housing rent?

In October 2017, the Government announced that it wanted a long term rent policy for councils and housing associations. This was confirmed in the Policy Statement on Rents for Social Housing published in February 2019. The policy allowed social landlords to increase rents each year by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate plus 1% from 2020/21 for five years.

The Government has since updated and extended this policy. A new Policy Statement on Rents for Social Housing was published on 28 January 2026. It sets out what landlords can do from 1 April 2026 onwards. Under the new Rent Standard 2026, councils and housing associations can continue to raise social and affordable rents by up to CPI + 1% for the year 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. This forms part of a new 10 year rent settlement, designed to give the sector more long term certainty.

For the 2026/27 year, the Regulator of Social Housing has confirmed that formula rents must be updated using CPI from September 2025 (3.8%) plus 1%. This gives a total increase of 4.8% for formula rent calculations.

As before, these rules apply only to the net rent (formula rent). Service charges are not capped by CPI + 1% and must continue to be set separately based on actual costs.

How much is my rent increasing by?

Rents will increase by 4.8% for the rent year 2026/27.

When does the new rent start?

The new rent takes effect from Monday 6th April 2026. The Rent Notice letters were sent out to all tenants prior to 5th March 2026.

Will the rent increases affect my Universal Credit payments?

If you already claim Universal Credit, you will not need to complete a brand-new claim with the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP).  Once we write to inform you of your new rent you will need to inform the DWP of the change in rent using your online Universal Credit Journal after the rent increase has been applied.

You need to inform the DWP on or just after the start of the new financial year as we cannot do this for you.  We will then be asked by the DWP to verify the increase.

I claim Housing Benefit, will this cover the rent increase?

If you are in receipt of Housing Benefit the amount you receive will automatically be amended when the new rent year starts.

SCC Housing Benefit department will notify you directly of any change to your entitlement.

Do I have to adjust my Direct Debit mandate, or will you do this?

If you pay by Direct Debit you will not have to do anything as they will be automatically adjusted by South Essex Homes.  You will be notified separately of the revised payment amounts.

Do I need to amend my Standing Order with my bank?

If you pay your rent by Standing Order you will need to contact your bank to amend the payment to the new amount advised in your Rent Notice.  Please ensure your Standing Order is set-up for the correct amount as shown in your rent notice to prevent your rent account falling into arrears.

Do you have to increase my rent?

No, we don’t have to increase your rent. It is up to each local authority to decide if they want to implement the increases.

The increase in rent enables us to continue to deliver the high-quality services to tenants. If we didn’t increase the rents, we would have less money to invest in maintaining your home, the upkeep of the surrounding area and in developing new homes.

I pay a service charge; will that increase the same as my rent?

Service charges are not calculated in the same way as the rent increase.  Any change in your service charge will be a direct result of whether the cost of providing the services has increased, decreased, or stayed the same. Upon request we can provide you with a full breakdown of your service charges.