Changes to rent from April 2026

Your rent will be changing from April 2026. This page includes information about changes to your rent and why this is happening, how we use your rent and what support is available if you’re struggling to pay your rent.

Changes to your rent

If you’re a social housing resident

We follow government rules when calculating any changes to your rent each year.

We follow the government’s guidelines on rent setting based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This measures the change in prices of everyday goods and services typically bought by UK households.

We work out your rent by taking the previous September’s CPI rate, which was 3.8% in 2025, and adding 1% to it. This means we’ll be increasing your rent by 4.8% from April 2026. This is the standard method used by all housing associations to set their rent.

If you’re a shared owner

Your rents are linked to another measure of inflation – the Retail Price Index (RPI) plus an uplift of typically between 0.5% and 2%.

The terms of your rent increase are explained in your lease.

If you pay service charges

These will vary in line with inflation and our spending on services.

We do charge a management fee, which will be increased by 4% to reflect increases in costs over the past year.

Other forms of rented housing

Different rules may apply.

All residents

We will write to you by the end of February confirming your new rent from April onwards.

If you’re worried about paying your new rent from April, or your current rent, then please contact us as soon as possible. We have services to help you manage your money and maximise any benefits you may be entitled to, ahead of the change.  

Why we’ve increased your rent

As a charitable housing association, all the money we make from the rent you pay is reinvested into our homes and services. We do this through activities like managing and carrying out day-to-day repairs on your home.

We also deliver major works to make long-term improvements to homes, like replacing bathrooms, kitchens, windows, and roofs.

We have to balance keeping rents as low as possible with making sure that we can fund essential maintenance and continue to improve the quality, safety and environmental efficiency of residents’ homes.

When setting the rent increase, we consulted with our Resident Services Board, a formal committee of L&Q residents. They also wanted us to make sure that support is provided to every resident who may need help managing their rent payments.

Our social rents remain at or below the government rent cap for social housing and we make sure that our rent remains significantly cheaper than market rent levels.

We use local income levels to help us calculate any changes to your rent to make sure these remain affordable. However, we’re here to support you if you have difficulty paying your rent.

What to do if you’re having difficulty paying your rent

If you’re finding it hard to pay your rent, please get in touch with our Income Collection team as soon as possible.

We’re here to support you where we can, including setting up a payment plan if you need one to help you manage your rent payments.

Call us on 300 456 9996 (option 2, then option 1). Our offices are open from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

If you’re struggling with your finances

You can contact our Pound Advice service for help.

Funded by our Foundation and run by an organisation called We Are Group, trained staff will help you manage your finances, with independent and confidential support.

To access Pound Advice services, email or call them on 0203 475 2221. They are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. 

We also have lots of useful information and tips about cost of living support, including:

• money help and support
• support with rent and service charges
• employment support
• energy usage tips
• warm hubs

How we use your rent

This year, we've invested £371 million into our homes, which is £45 million more than the year before. As well as day-to-day repairs, this investment also includes long-term improvements like new bathrooms, kitchens, windows and roofs

This grid shows you a breakdown of how every pound (£1) of your rent money is spent (figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number): 

• Housing management includes the costs of running our housing management and customer service teams, as well as administrative activities associated with managing your tenancies and homes
• Routine maintenance covers activities like day-to-day repairs
• Investment in homes includes major works to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of our homes
• Interest payments cover payments on loans, which we've taken out to help us invest in existing and new homes
• Other expenses include funding for local projects that improve people’s lives and create opportunities in their communities through the L&Q Foundation.

We will also continue to invest in our existing homes as part of our Major Works investment programme.

Maximum rent setting by a First Tier Tribunal

If you hold an assured periodic tenancy with us, then you may have a right to have your rent assessed by the First Tier Tribunal.

If this applies to you, the official notice (form 4) enclosed with your letter will provide details on how to apply.

If you choose to apply, the tribunal will consider it and decide the maximum rent for your home.

In setting a rent, the tribunal must decide what rent we could reasonably expect for the property if it were let on the open market under a new tenancy on the same terms.

If you are unsure whether you can apply, contact us and we will check this for you.