Rent increases and other charges

Rent charges for 2024

Council rents for 2024/25 will increase by 7.7% to help make sure we can take care of your home, deliver frontline services and address the issues you tell us matter to you.

A 7.7% increase means the average weekly rent in Islington will increase by £9.71.

This increase is in line with the Social Housing Regulators’ standards for social landlords of increasing rents by the September Consumer Price Index (CPI) – which this year was 6.7% – plus 1%.

Your rent pays for the cost of maintaining and managing your home, and we invest every penny back into homes and communities.

High levels of inflation are making it more expensive for us to deliver services such as repairs and maintenance, and our budgets are tight, but we are prioritising investing in safety and tackling damp and mould.

What you will pay from 1 April 2024

The new charges are shown in your rent charge change letter.

The total weekly amount charged does not include costs for parking/storage facilities and Housing Benefit entitlement (where applicable). The full breakdown of charges will be on your next rent statement which you will receive by the end of March 2024. 

Service charges

On an annual 53 week basis, the weekly tenant service charge for caretaking and estate services is reducing from £20.15 to £19.31, down by 84p per week. The overall tenant service charge has reduced by 4.2%, primarily due to a reduction in electricity prices, this is partially offset by an increase in staffing costs compared with 2023/24.

From 1 April 2024 the weekly charges are as follows:

• Caretaking: £12.93
• Estate services: £6.38*

*Estate services include communal lighting, repairs and grounds maintenance.

Refund policy

Where there has been a total loss of the caretaking service for more than five consecutive working days a refund will be issued.

The refund rate from 1 April 2024 will be £3.41 per day from the sixth working day of the service loss until the restoration of the service. Refunds will be paid into tenants’ rent accounts (after any Housing Benefit adjustment).

Tenants can request a refund by contacting tenancy services on 020 7527 5300 or at HomesandCommunities@islington.gov.uk.

Digital TV

The weekly charge for ongoing maintenance costs for digital TV aerials have remained unchanged from 2023/2024 rates.

From 1 April 2024 the weekly charge for ongoing maintenance is £0.22.

Concierge charges

For tenants that receive a concierge and CCTV service there are four levels of charging based on the criteria of where a resident lives:

• Category A - in the same block as the concierge and using the access which is covered by the concierge office
• Category B - on the same estate as the concierge, but not falling within category A
• Category C - remote (multiple cameras)
• Category D - remote (a smaller number of cameras)

Charges have increased by 6.3% to more closely reflect the true cost of the service provided.

Weekly charges from 1 April 2024 are:

• Category A: £19.45
• Category B: £14.60
• Category C: £8.77
• Category D: £2.75

Heating charges

Since the energy crisis the cost of gas has been much higher, although costs have fallen since the peak. Lower prices have been secured for 2024/25 and therefore service costs will go down from April.

This means that tenant charges for this service will be significantly lower in 2024/25. Costs this year are 41% less compared with 2023/24.

Parking charges

For rent and service charge payers the parking charges will increase by 6.7% in 2024/25. Charges are based on a vehicle’s carbon emissions and engine size.

Charges for 2024/25

Emission bands

Engine information	Emission bands
Carbon emission and engine sizes	A	B	C	D
Carbon CO2 rating g/km (grams per kilometre)	1-120	121-150	151-185	186+
Engine size cc (cylinder capacity)	up to 1100	1101-1399	1400-1850	1851+

Standard charges for rent and service charge payers (weekly charges £)

Emission bands	A	B	C	D
Garage	11.93	23.86	23.86	26.25
Car cage	5.58	11.16	11.16	12.27
Parking space	3.05	6.08	6.08	6.69
Internal garage	8.23	16.44	16.44	18.09
Garages used for non-vehicle storage	-	-	-	26.25

Non-rent and non-service charge payers (weekly charges £)

Engine/parking type	Emission bands
Carbon emission and engine sizes	A	B	C	D
Garage	26.82	53.56	53.56	58.89
Car cage	12.57	25.04	25.04	27.55
Parking space	7.37	15.70	15.70	21.60
Garages used for non-vehicle storage	-	-	-	54.61

When parking permits or garage letting agreements are renewed, we will check the vehicle emission band to make sure you are being charged the right amount. We will write to let you know if there are any changes. Concessions for Islington Council residents that hold a disability Blue Badge parking permit issued by either Islington Council or another local authority will remain the same, i.e. 50% or 100% depending on the qualification criteria.

In addition to weekly estate parking charges, a surcharge of £170 per year (£3.21 per week) will be charged for all vehicles that use diesel fuel.

The above charges are applicable from 1 April 2024. All tenants renting a parking facility will receive a separate letter detailing their specific charges.

The council is also continuing its policy to reduce estate parking charges by one band for registered taxi (black cab) drivers, as they have little choice in the vehicle they use.

Electric vehicles

Tenant and resident service charge payers with electric vehicles continue to have free access to Islington Council estate parking facilities. This includes all Islington Council tenants, members of their household and leaseholders/freeholders who pay service charges to Islington Council for the home that they live in.

Islington borough residents and non-residents will continue to be charged at Band A rates. This includes any Islington borough residents who do not qualify for the standard charge rate for tenants and resident service charge payers, and out-of-borough residents.

Rent statements 

The next rent statement will be sent out in March and will include a full breakdown of the rent charges applicable from 1 April 2024, as well as details of Housing Benefit entitlement (where applicable).

Residents should receive their rent statement and new payment calendar to record their payments by the end of March 2024.

If you need help working out the weekly amount you need to pay, contact income.recovery@islington.gov.uk.

Housing Benefit

Tenants who receive Housing Benefit will receive a letter from the Benefits Service that will give details of the new benefit entitlement and the revised amount that should be paid each week.

For Housing Benefit applications or enquiries please call 020 7527 4990, or download an application form.

If you are making a new claim for Housing Benefit and are of working age you may need to claim Universal Credit instead.

Universal Credit

Tenants who receive Universal Credit must inform the Department for Work and Pensions of any changes in their rent charges. You can report this change by signing into your Universal Credit account online and completing the ‘Confirm your housing costs to-do' or calling the helpline on 0800 328 5644.

This must be done on the 1 April 2024 or as soon as possible after that date. Any delays may risk you losing out on benefits.

Direct Debit payers

Residents who pay by Direct Debit will receive a letter setting out the revised payment details with effect from 1 April 2024.

Support to help you cope with rent payments

If you are worried about how you are going to cope with rent payments or loss of income from government benefits changes, please get in touch. We can help. Please do not ignore your rent payments.

Get in touch with your Income Recovery team:

• Email: income.recovery@islington.gov.uk
• Phone: 020 7527 5300

Paying your rent by Direct Debit

The easiest way to pay your rent is by Direct Debit. Most bank or building society accounts including basic bank accounts can be used to make payments by Direct Debit. Some of the advantages of paying by Direct Debit are:

• payments are made for you by your bank or building society
• no queuing at the post office or other pay points
• your payments will be received on time each month
• no paperwork or postage costs

Switch to paying your rent by Direct Debit for the first time and we will credit your rent account with a £10 payment for switching.

Alternative formats for this information

Do you need this information in another language or reading format such as Braille, large print, audio or Easy Read? 

• Email: income.recovery@islington.gov.uk
• Phone: 020 7527 5300

If your property is managed by Partners for Improvement in Islington, please contact:

• Email: enquiries@partnersislington.net
• Phone: 0800 587 3595