With the cost of living rising and energy prices going up, we understand that many people might be concerned about the affect this will have on how much money we all have to spend each month.
The rent you pay goes towards us ensuring that we can continue to provide you and our other customers with a safe, secure home. It allows us to provide maintenance services and have someone available to help you if you have a tenancy query. It also means we can build more affordable homes for people in communities with a housing shortage.
As the cost of living and materials rises, so does the amount of money we need to spend to continue to provide you with a modern, reliable customer service. Last year we invested £68.8m in maintaining and repairing our homes, and we’ll continue to invest to ensure our properties remain safe and well maintained.
To read more about the services we provide and the investment we make in our homes and our communities – click here.
Your rent from 2023
From 3 April 2023 you may notice an increase in your rent.
For the majority of customers, your rent will increase, and in most cases this will be below the rate of inflation. We will contact you in the usual way, in writing, to confirm your new rent and other charges before 3 April 2023. We understand that any rent increase can be worrying, and we’re available to answer any questions or concerns you might have.
Service charges
Some customers also pay service charges for a range of services we provide such as ground maintenance or lighting in communal areas. Each year we look at how much we’ve spent providing these services and adjust service charges accordingly. Most service charges are variable which means that they could go up as well as down.
Service charges have seen an inflationary rate increase with the exception of electricity and gas which has seen an above inflationary increase.
Help to manage your money
If you’re worried about paying your rent or service charges, we’ll do all we can to help you to manage your money. Call us on 0333 400 8222 and our financial wellbeing advisors are ready to help you. Last year we helped families access over £566,664 in additional income, and supported 2,014 people.
We can help you set up realistic repayment schedules if you’re in arrears and connect you to other support services in your community if you need them.
You can use our free Money Advice Tool, which helps with budgeting and checks you’re accessing all the support available to you.
You can also visit our cost of living hub to see the support available for a range of services, from energy costs to accessing local food banks and warm spaces.
Answering your questions
We’ll be getting in touch with you again in February to confirm the details of your new rent payment, but in the meantime, we’d encourage you to talk to us if you’re worried about paying your rent or other charges.
You can call us on 0333 400 8222 or visit our MyAster portal for more support and advice.
In the meantime we've answered some of the questions you might have below:
Yes - From 1 April 2023 you may notice an increase in your rent.
For the majority of customers, your rent will increase, and in most cases this will be below the rate of inflation. We will contact you in the usual way, in writing, to confirm your new rent and other charges before 1 April 2023. We understand that any rent increase can be worrying, and we’re available to answer any questions or concerns you might have.
The rent you pay goes towards us ensuring that we can continue to provide you and our other customers with a safe, secure home. It also allows us to provide maintenance services and have someone available to help you if you have a tenancy query. It also means we can build more affordable homes for people in communities with a housing shortage.
We invest the money we receive from your rent into improving and maintaining our existing homes and providing a range of services to our customers.
As the cost of living and materials rises, so does the amount of money we need to spend to continue to provide you with a modern, reliable customer service.
Last year we invested £68.8m in maintaining and repairing our homes, and we’ll continue to invest to ensure our properties remain safe and well maintained.
To read more about the services we provide and the investment we make in our homes and our communities – click here.
You might pay for additional services such as shared lighting or grounds maintenance via a service charge. Each year we look at how much we’ve spent providing these services to make sure you’re paying the right amount. Service charges are variable, which means that they can go up and down. We’ll write to everyone who pays a service charge during February 2023, to provide information about any changes to service charges from April 2023.
Please let us know if you’re worried about increasing bills so our team of financial wellbeing advisors can help you get the right support and advice. You can reach us on 0333 400 8222 or visit MyAster where you can chat to us via our Live Chat service.
We can provide advice about how to manage your tenancy, help you set up realistic repayment schedules if you’re in arrears, and we can also connect you to other support services in your community if you need them.
You can use our free Money Advice Tool, which provides guidance on budgeting and will help you check you’re accessing all the support available to you.
If you’re concerned about paying your rent, please don’t suffer in silence, our customer accounts and financial wellbeing team are there to help you if you’re worried. Please get in touch with us as early as possible, so we can help you understand your options. Call us on 0333 400 8222 to get started.
We can also help you to change career, swap roles or look for a new job after some time away from working. Our dedicated Into Work officer can support you through our Digital College service, and help you get the skills you need to start a new role. Call us on 0333 400 8222 to find out more.
If you’d like help with a specific job search, we can put you in touch with your local Job Centre which has access to a range of opportunities.
Many of our customers do get help to pay their rent by claiming either Housing Benefit or Universal Credit. If you’re struggling to pay your rent, you could be entitled to some help. We encourage all our customers to check if they’re entitled by using our free Money Advice Tool. Alternatively, you can phone us and ask to speak to our Financial Wellbeing Team on 0333 400 8222.
Our Financial Wellbeing team can help you understand what you’re entitled to and help you to access this if you’re not currently receiving it.
We can also help you if you’re submitting a new benefit application or even if you’re considering an appeal. Last year we helped families access over £566,664 in additional income and supported 2,014 people to get financial wellbeing advice. Call 0333 400 8222 to get started.
For the majority of customers, your rent will increase, and in most cases this will be below the rate of inflation. We will contact you in the usual way, in writing, to confirm your new rent and other charges before 1 April 2023. We understand that any rent increase can be worrying, and we’re available to answer any questions or concerns you might have.
If you pay your rent every week, your rent will increase from Monday 3 April 2023. However, if you pay once a month, your rent will go up from Friday 1 April 2023.
You might have your rent paid to us by Housing Benefit or Universal Credit. We’ll tell Housing Benefit how much your rent is, so you don’t need to contact them. However, if you claim Universal Credit, you’ll need to tell them yourself and we’ll write to you to tell you exactly what you need to do.
No, we’ll ask your bank directly to pay us the new amount, giving you at least five days’ notice. Your direct debit will be recalculated based on your new rent and we will tell you the new charge by letter in February.
Yes, if you pay by standing order, you’ll need to tell your bank to pay us the new amount. You can find the new charge on your rent increase letter, which you will receive in February, or you can phone us on 0800 300 8222 to ask for your new monthly amount.
Your tenancy agreement will show you how many weeks you’re charged over the year, it could be 48, 50 or 52. If you multiply the new rent and any service charge by the number of weeks and divide it by 12 you will get your new monthly amount. Alternatively, you can call us on 0800 300 8222 and we can tell you your new rent.
MyAster is a one stop shop which allows you to update and get information about your tenancy at a time that suits you. You can pay your rent and view your account online using the MyAster customer portal. Register or log in at my.aster.co.uk. You’ll also find useful information on our My Money page on MyAster. You can use the Money Advice Tool to see if you’re entitled to any benefits and get help and advice with how to apply.
Alternatively, please call us on 0333 400 8222.
You can contact us for further information about your rent increase on 0333 400 8222.
