We are responsible for the management of your home and estate. However, Leeds City Council is responsible for setting how much rent you have to pay.
They work out the rent for each home by taking into account the following information:
- local earnings;
- property values in the Leeds area; and
- the size and condition of your property.
Local earnings
The Council uses local earnings in West Yorkshire to work out rents. This includes the average manual wage in the area and how they compare to other parts of the country. This means that rents in Leeds will be lower than rents in London as wages in London are generally higher.
Property values
There are more than 60,000 Council homes in the city, and so the Council can't value each one individually. Instead, they look at a sample of homes in local areas which are used to give a value for other similar properties.
Property size
The more bedrooms in your home the higher your rent will be.
Annual rent increases
When the Council sets new rent levels in April each year, they will write to you at least four weeks in advance to tell you the new amount.
What happens to the rent you pay?
It is used to pay for your day-to-day services. It also covers other items such as paying back costs of building and improvement schemes.
What if you receive Housing Benefit?
If you receive full Housing Benefit this will not be affected by any changes. If you get part benefit the amount you get will change depending on how much your rent goes up or down.