South Ayrshire Council has set Council rents for Council houses and other housing related facilities for three years so tenants know well in advance what their costs will be.
There will be a fixed rent increase of 5.2% for financial years 2012/13 to 2014/15. The average rent for 2011/12 is £60.62 per period (based on 48 weeks) and this will increase to £63.77 with a 5.2% rent increase.
Changes will also be made to the way some other housing related charges are made, enabling all tenants live in warm homes with modern facilities.
The rent charges follow a review of the Council's Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan, which aims to ensure all tenants are treated equally in relation to the rents and charges they pay.
As part of this review 30 consultation events were held, including 19 with tenants of sheltered housing units, 2 with tenants of Riverside High Flats in Ayr and 8 tenants events. In total over 300 tenants attended.
The views and thoughts gathered at the consultation sessions provided valuable information which has helped to shape the changes that will now be implemented.
Councillor Douglas Campbell, Portfolio Holder for Housing said: "I would like to thank all the tenants who took part in the housing review over the last year.
"We are committed to providing the best housing we can for our tenants, something clearly demonstrated with our new £4.5 million development, funded by the Council in partnership with the Scottish Government at Thornyflat in Ayr. We built 42 new homes of the very highest standard, with various sizes of properties to accommodate different housing needs. We are also investing in modernising and reconfiguring housing stock to make it more suitable for the way that people live today, which will also stand the test of time and be appreciated by people for years to come.
"By setting our rents for the next three financial years our tenants know exactly what they will have pay, and we think this is the right thing to do, especially in the current economic climate.
"The income that we receive from our tenants is used to maintain and improve our housing stock as we are determined to continue to raise the standard of the homes we provide for tenants across South Ayrshire."
"The level of rent increases we have approved will provide the Council with sufficient resources to meet the Scottish Quality Housing Standard and ensure our Housing Revenue Account Business Plan is viable over its 30 year lifespan."
The rent increase and other changes mean that:
- Rents at the Riverside High Flats in Ayr will increase by £1.99 per week in 2012/13 in addition to the approved rent increases.
- The 50% reduction in double glazing and improvement charges for sheltered housing tenants will be removed.
- Tenants receiving heating through a communal system will be charged the full cost, this will be done on a phased basis by 2015.
- Lock-up weekly rents will increase from £6.10 to £6.42 excluding VAT where applicable.
- Garage site rents annual charge will increase from £48.28 to £50.79 excluding VAT where applicable.
- Garden maintenance annual charge will increase from £147.49 to £155.16 excluding VAT where applicable.
Councillor Campbell concluded: "As a landlord we have a responsibility to treat all our tenants equally and that is why a number of changes are being made to the way we operate our housing services. One change is to charge fair rents for tenants whether they live on an estate, in a town or in a sheltered housing unit. This will affect those living in properties such as the high flats and sheltered housing units.
"Our sheltered housing units are a place where tenants who need additional support, which we supply and the Council fully subsidises, can live full and active lives. We provide communal areas for residents to meet, hold social events, meet with others from their local community and generally live life to the full.
"It is important that we provide the best possible care for vulnerable people and that is why we have invested heavily in our sheltered housing units. They have all been double glazed and the majority of them have been modernised, with some work still ongoing.
"This is why we are bringing the rents of our sheltered housing properties in line with rent levels for our other housing stock. There are others living in houses which are not sheltered units who currently have to meet the full cost of everything and this is not fair. We are offering every tenant support to maximise their income by making officers available to them who will be able to tell them if they qualify for any benefits. A large number of our sheltered housing tenants are on housing benefit and the changes will have no impact on them.
"We are making our rental charges consistent and this is the fair thing to do so that everyone is treated equally. By continuing to work closely with our tenants we will be able to provide the best possible housing and support services to meet the needs of people across South Ayrshire."