Rent and Service Charge Increase 2026-27

Rent is increasing by 4.8% in 2026 for all social rented homes.

For weekly tenancies, the increase will take effect from 6 April 2026.

For monthly tenancies, the increase will take effect from 1 April 2026.

All social rented homes will increase by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as it was on September 2025, plus 1%. That’s 3.8% +1% = 4.8%.

This is in line with the Government formula and complies with the Regulator of Social Housing’s (RSH) rent standard.

• We are all still impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, and we know that some of our customers are struggling. We want to invest more in providing support where it is needed.
• Our costs are going up by more than just CPI inflation, and if our income doesn’t go up at the same rate then we’ll need to cut back on the services that we provide.
• The Government has set out their ambition for growth, and building new homes will help that goal. We need more affordable housing, and adding a little to our rents will allow us to invest a bit more in building new homes.

Some tenants pay a service charge for additional services we provide. This charge doesn’t fall under the Government’s rent setting rules and is calculated separately.

Examples of the kind of services we charge for include: grounds maintenance, window cleaning, communal cleaning and energy, and equipment maintenance.

There are plenty of ways to pay your rent - take a look at them below to see which suits you best.

Direct Debit

If you pay by Direct Debit, you don’t need to do anything. Our Income team will organise the changes to your payments. A letter will be sent to you from Allpay confirming the new payment amount. If you’re in rent arrears, this new amount will include payments towards that.

Housing Benefit

If your Housing Benefit is paid directly to Connect, you don’t need to do anything. If it’s paid directly to you, you need to tell your Housing Benefit Office about the change.

Universal Credit

If you claim Universal Credit, you’ll need to confirm your new housing costs via your online journal during your Universal Credit assessment period. DWP will add a 'Confirm your housing costs' message to your online journal’s to-do list on Monday 7 April 2025. You must confirm your housing costs by the end of your assessment period.

Standing Order or Bank Transfer

If you pay by Standing Order you will need to amend your payment amount, either online or by visiting your bank. You can also pay by Bank Transfer.

Account name: Connect Housing Association Ltd

Sort Code: 05-00-20

Account Number: 11374158

Online Account Service

Our online service lets residents manage rent, repairs and more anytime, anywhere. Once you’ve registered for the service, you can manage your rent and payments online through our website.

Most of the money we receive through rent is used to look after your home and ensure tenancies are working well.

A small part of the rent is used towards building new homes to meet the housing crisis, but most of that cost comes from loans and grants.

How we spend each pound of rental income

Planned and routine repairs to your home - £0.28

Depreciation of assets - £0.18

Housing management costs | supported housing and housing for older people - £0.12

Interest on our loans - £0.11

Other social housing activities - £0.10

Housing management costs | general needs and leasehold - £0.09

Services - £0.09

Improving homes through major repairs - £0.02

Other - £0.01

Our team of Rent Accounting Officers is responsible for collecting rent.

Each officer focuses on a different area of West Yorkshire, which we refer to as a patch. Below are the officers’ names and patches.

To find out who your Rent Accounting Officer is please contact us on 0300 5000 600.

Naz Hussain

Leeds, Wakefield and Batley

Rahila Mohammed

Leeds and Wakefield

Max Wolstenholme

Leeds, Dewsbury and Pontefract.

Yvonne Howe

Huddersfield, Halifax and Dewsbury

In line with our Policy, it’s our responsibility to prevent tenants from falling into arrears and to intervene where necessary. We only take formal legal action as a last resort.

We aim to address rent arrears when they’re small and manageable by working closely with tenants and setting up affordable, sustainable payment plans. We may also ask tenants to complete an Income & Expenditure Form so that we can understand their circumstances in more detail and set up a payment plan to suit their needs.

Our Rent Accounting Officers have successfully worked with many tenants who have found themselves in arrears on their rent account. Together, we have helped people find ways to pay their rent and clear any debt owed, with great success and without the need for legal action and additional court costs.

If you find yourself in arrears, please get in touch with us straightaway.

We understand that sometimes there are situations which make it difficult to pay your rent on time.

If you experience any financial challenges, our dedicated Money Matters team is just a phone call away. They will be more than happy to help you.

Each year the team helps many tenants manage their finances, access benefits or other funds, and get additional support that they may need.

Our officers work across West Yorkshire and can arrange to speak to you over the phone or visit you at home; whichever suits you.

You can request a referral to our Money Matters team anytime you speak to a Connect Housing staff member. They will make a referral on your behalf.

Alternatively, you can refer yourself and request a call from the team by completing the form on our website’s Money Matters page.

Once they’ve received the referral, a member of the Money Matters team will give you a call within two working days to book you in for your first appointment with one of our Economic Inclusion Officers.

If you don’t answer the phone call, we will call again up to three times. If you still don’t respond to our calls within seven days, the referral may be closed. This is so that we can maintain an efficient service and reach out to the maximum number of customers who may need our support.

Your first appointment will take place within the first two weeks of the referral being made; we will aim to be flexible depending on your circumstance

From time to time - where our capacity is stretched in the team - the first appointment might not be available until the third week of the referral being made. Please bear with us during any busy times.

All we ask is that you engage with us when we reach out to support you. We can only support you if you work with us.