Council tenants invited to have their say on rents review

Around 13,600 Highland Council housing tenants will receive a letter and questionnaire this week inviting them to make their opinions known on a review of council house rents and service charges throughout the Highlands.

In May 2010, members of the Council’s Housing and Social Work Committee approved a major review of the Council’s housing rents and service charges and the council is currently consulting tenants individually and local tenants groups.

Details of the review are available on the Council’s website.

In a letter being sent to Highland tenants the Council’s Director of Housing and Property, Steve Barron, invites tenants to let the Council know what they think about how their rents are calculated and also calls for views on what tenants think the Council should take into account when deciding what rent is charged.

A short questionnaire asks tenants to:
• rank the importance of factors that the Council takes into account when deciding what rent to charge;
• provide opinions on new council house building and the possible relationship of funding related to rents;
• consider the low energy savings in heating new homes and possible relationship to rents;
• consider who should pay for communal housing services such as stair cleaning; and
• consider the possibility of new calculations of rents enabling some individual rents to increase and others to decrease.

Tenants have until Saturday 31 July 2010 to complete and return their questionnaires. Anyone requiring further advice or information on the housing rent and service review can contact the Council’s Housing and Property Service on 01463 702888.

Councillor Margaret Davidson, Chair of The Highland Council’s Housing and Social Work Committee said: “I urge all of our tenants to take part in this survey on their rent and service charges as the outcomes of the consultation will help Council members to make informed decisions on future changes that will affect everyone who has a Council home in the Highlands. I cannot stress enough how important it is that tenants make their views known to us.”

The results of the review will be presented to a future meeting of the Council’s Housing and Social Work Committee for consideration by members.