Your rent

Your rent is due every Monday and must be paid weekly, fortnightly or monthly, in advance.

We will review your rent each year. If it goes up, we’ll write to you at least four weeks in advance of the increase.

Any rent increases usually start in the first week of April.

Pay your rent

 

Have your say on the 2025 to 2026 proposed annual rent increases

We are proposing increasing rents for our tenants by 2.7% from Monday, 7 April 2025. This is in line with the national policy for setting council rents.

This means, if agreed, the average council rent would rise by £3.38 a week from £125.18 to £128.56.

This year’s rent increase follows the national policy for social landlords, including the council. Under this policy, we adjust rents based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as of September, plus an additional 1%. The CPI measures changes in the cost of everyday items like, groceries, fuel and clothing. In September 2024, the CPI was 1.7%.

Most tenants’ service charges will rise by 4.8%. This is in line with the expected pay increase for 2025/26. These charges are linked to the internal provision of services to tenants.

Our rents would remain among the lowest in London while allowing us to maintain, repair, and improve our homes and services for tenants.

If you rent one of our homes, we’d like to hear your views on the proposed rent increases. Councillors will consider your feedback before making their final decision in January 2025.

To have your say on the proposed rent increases, contact us by Friday 20 December. You can email housing.rents@hackney.gov.uk or by write to:

Rent Section
Hackney Service Centre
1 Hillman Street
Hackney

You must title any correspondence with ‘Rent increase proposal’.

What we use your rent for

We use your rent to:

• improve our estates by keeping them clean, safe and welcoming
• invest in our buildings so we can maintain them to a modern standard – including tackling damp and mould
• provide a responsive, reliable and professional repairs service
• regenerate and transform estates which need investment

How we work out your rent

We work out your rent using a formula set by the government. All councils and registered social landlords use this formula. When working out your rent we take into account the:

• average wages in the local area
• value of your home
• number of bedrooms in your home

Paying your water charges

On 1 April 2021 we stopped charging for water and wastewater services on behalf of Thames Water. This means that you are now responsible for making monthly or annual payments directly to Thames Water instead of paying it weekly as part of your rent.

To find more information on the support available with water charges, visit Help with the rising cost of living – Bills and energy.

Check your rent account balance

Call us using the contact details at the bottom of this page to check your rent balance.

Support to help you manage your rent payments

We offer a range of help and financial advice to all our residents. If you are facing debt or rent arrears, speak to us as soon as possible and avoid approaching a loan shark or taking payday loans for help.

You can contact us using the contact details at the bottom of this page.

The earlier you speak to us, the more we can help. Our staff have experience in helping residents with managing their rent accounts and have received training to provide debt and welfare benefit advice.

We have also developed a comprehensive Help with the cost of living guide outlining the wide range of help and support available during the cost of living crisis. It includes advice on how to contact our Money Hub team who can help you access any benefits you may be missing out on.

Missing payments

Payments might take a while to reach your rent account, depending on your method of payment. For example, bank standing order, Post Office and PayPoint payments can take up to five working days to appear in your rent account.

If you’ve made a payment but can’t see it on your rent statement, email us at housing.rents@hackney.gov.uk or call using the contact details at the bottom of this page. We’ll need the following information to help us locate the payment:

• receipt reference or copy of receipt
• date of payment
• amount paid
• how payment was made

Rent refunds

If you have overpaid your rent, you can apply for a refund. Your account will be checked to make sure the credit balance is correct and that you don’t owe any other debts to the Council. If any debts are owed, they will be paid before any refund is agreed.

Refunds can be paid by BACS transfer directly into your bank account or by cheque.

How to request a refund

Download and complete the refund application form:

• refund application form (PDF 65kb)

Send completed forms by:

• post to Rent Accounts, Hackney Council, Christopher Addison House, 72 Wilton Way, London E8 1BJ
• email to housing.rents@hackney.gov.uk
• fax to 020 8356 2240

Money you owe at the end of your tenancy

You must clear your rent account at the end of your tenancy. If you are no longer a council tenant but still owe arrears, we will chase this debt.

See money you owe at the end of your tenancy.

What you can expect from us when paying rent

Our approach

We:

• offer you a wide range of ways to pay rent
• offer financial incentives and a choice of dates to pay rent by direct debit
• provide tenants with information about when rent is due and where and how it can be paid
• provide a rent statement, on request, from any Neighbourhood Housing Office
• provide advice and assistance on debt management, housing benefit and other welfare benefits or refer a tenant to other agencies, if specialist advice is needed
• provide advice and assistance on completing a housing benefit application and about other benefits and grants which tenants might be able to claim
• ensure Housing Benefit payments are credited to the rent account on time

Our service standards

We:

• aim to collect 100% of rent due
• set up a rent account and provide a rent payment card for new tenants within three days of the tenancy date
• will not increase rents above the recommendation from the social housing regulator

We’ll also:

• inform tenants of any rent increase at least four weeks before this must be paid
• write to you each year (in January or February) to confirm the rent and other charges for the coming year
• provide a breakdown of the gross rent within 10 working days of receiving a request
• respond to balance queries and requests for replacement rent cards within three working days
• process all refunds of rent credit within three days of receiving a written request to do so
• notify Housing Benefit within five working day of any change in a tenant’s circumstances or rent
• reply in writing to a request for rent and tenancy references from lending institutions within five working days