Rent and service charges 2026/27
During February 2026 we are writing to all of our customers to explain changes to their rent and service charge changes from April 2026. You may have questions so we have provided answers on this page. If you can't find the answer to your question please contact RentandServiceCharges@brighterplaces.co.uk or call us on 0117 942 4600.
- How much have rents increased this year?
Like all housing associations we review your rent and service charges each year in line with Government policy. After discussing this with our resident engagement panel and sharing their views with our board, your rent will rise by 4.8% from April 2026.
The annual rent change is calculated using a specific, government-set formula. This takes the consumer price index (CPI) measure of the previous September and adds 1%.
In September 2025, the CPI was 3.8%. In April 2026, rents will increase by 4.8% (this is CPI of 3.8% + 1%) for our social rented customers. The average increase per household is £6.49 per week.
This excludes service charges, where applicable, which will reflect the actual costs incurred by Brighter Places in providing those services.
Share ownership customers
Shared ownership rent is initially set when the property is first built and is then reviewed annually using the formula set out in the shared ownership agreement.
The formula used will depend on when your shared ownership agreement started.
If your agreement started before 12 October 2023, your rent will change by the Retail Price Index (RPI) plus 0.5%.
If your agreement started on or after 12 October 2023, your rent will change by Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus 1%.
- How is the rent increase decided?
Increasing rent for our customers is not a decision we take lightly. Our Finance and Customer Services Directors met with our Resident Engagement Panel to talk through the proposed increase and the different options available.
This was a detailed and open discussion where panel members asked important questions, particularly about affordability and value for money. Together they looked at how rent income supports investment in homes and services, and what it would mean for customers if rents did not increase.
Panel members were also invited to share further feedback through a follow-up survey. Their views were shared with the board.
Following this process, we felt that to keep investing in our services to customers and in our homes, a rent increase was required and it was approved by the board.
- How is my rent spent?
As a not-for-profit organisation, all surplus income we receive is re-invested in the services we provide you. This includes improving services such as repairs, customer services, communal areas and investing in energy efficiency measures in your home, and the development and delivery of new homes.
In 2024/25, we invested £4.5 million in our homes. £70,000 was spent on supporting customers, community development and resident engagement. And £9.9 million has been invested in providing new homes for customers in housing need in the Bristol area.
Shared ownership customers
It’s important to understand what your shared ownership rent covers.
Shared ownership isn’t the same as traditional rented arrangements. It doesn’t include repairs or maintenance, as your agreement is fully self-repairing.
Your shared ownership rent contributes to Brighter Places financing the portion of your home that you have yet to buy. Unless you increase the amount equity you own in your home to 100%, you will still have rent to pay, even when your mortgage has been paid off.
The greater the share of your home you own, the less rent you pay. This is called ‘staircasing.’ To find out more about staircasing please email the team at sales@brighterplaces.co.uk
- What are service charges?
They are charges for services we provide for the shared areas in your block or scheme, as set out in your lease or tenancy agreement. It can include the cost to clean communal areas, gas, electricity, water, fire safety equipment, lift maintenance, CCTV, health and safety measures, TV licenses, window cleaning and grounds maintenance. Service charge costs can go up or down.
- What is the difference between rent and service charges?
The rent is the amount you pay to be a Brighter Places customer; it pays for your home, the repairs to your home and neighbourhood services (tackling anti-social behaviour, making small changes and improvements to landscaping).
Service charges are an additional charge for services that we provide for shared areas if your home is in a block or scheme. This can include the cost to clean communal areas, gas, electricity, water, fire safety equipment, lift maintenance, CCTV, health and safety measures, TV licenses, window cleaning and grounds maintenance. Service charge costs can go up or down.
- Does the same rent increase apply to service charges?
No. This is because your rent and service charges are different and are calculated in different ways.
Your rent is worked out by a central government formula. This year it will increase by 4.8%
Your service charges change with the actual cost it takes to deliver the service.
- Why have my service charges increased?
We are committed to providing value for money and keeping costs down where we can but some things (like materials and energy processes) are out of our control and may mean that charges have gone up.
- Why is the communal charges for utilities so high?
The communal electricity costs are based on the bills that we have paid over the last 12 months. Some of these would be estimates and some are actual costs.
Communal electricity includes heating and lighting in entrances, stairwells and corridors of flats; but can also include external lighting in bin store areas and car parks.
We are working with energy suppliers to ensure that bills are based on actual energy usage so that changes will be reflected in the service charge from April 2026.
- Can you explain each service charge?
- Cleaning: cleaning communal areas such as corridors, entrance halls & staircases.
- Communal fixtures & equipment: charges to provide communal equipment (such as fire panels and smoke detectors) carpets, furnishings, curtains etc
- Communal lifts: the cost to service and maintain communal lifts.
- Communal maintenance: charges for the upkeep of some supported units, shared owners and leaseholders.
- Grounds maintenance: cost to maintain any communal landscaped areas (not individual gardens) including the upkeep of private roads, footpaths, parking areas.
- Health & Safety compliance: the cost of statutory safety checks, tests, repairs, servicing and replacements, including (where applicable) fire safety assessments, tests, repairs and replacements, asbestos or legionella checks and electrical safety work in communal areas.
- Managing company costs: the cost for services and repairs provided to the block or estate by a third party management company.
- Security costs: for any CCTV, door entry systems or security barriers.
- Telecoms & wifi: the cost for any electronic communications equipment provided for communal use (including aerials).
- Utilities: the cost of electricity, gas or water provided for communal use (including external taps).
- Waste clearance: any costs not met by the council to remove bulk items and waste from bin stores and communal areas, including fly tipping.
- Administration cost: Brighter Places’ costs for administering the services provided. This includes arranging and paying for your services, accounting and paying for contracts, calculating financial information, replying to any related queries, any related contract and health and safety compliance oversight.
- Building insurance: The cost of building insurance (for shared owners and leaseholders)
- Ground rent: Payments legally required for the land on which the property is built
- Lifts and hoists: costs to service and maintain individual stair lifts and hoists.
- Personal charges: charges for any services in your own home that we pay on your behalf (for example, TV licences, water or heating) (other residents pay these charges directly to suppliers).
- Adjustment: Any change to your service charges agreed by Brighter Places.
- I am not happy about the services I receive / repairs outstanding in my home, but you're asking me to pay more
We listened to what customers have told us about our repairs service and the communal cleaning and grounds maintenance service, and new contractors were chosen with customers input and are now in place.
Some things such as the cost of electricity and materials may always seem to go up but Brighter Places select services and manage contracts in a way that keeps costs down and delivers value for money for customers.
In November 2024 aAFD started delivering the communal grounds maintenance and cleaning service. We are monitoring the delivery of these works during estate inspections and other communal area visits. We will make sure that we only pay for services that are provided and to the agreed standards.
In March 2025 Ian Williams started delivering the responsive repairs service and Sureserve Compliance the gas servicing and heating repairs. We are confident that customer will experience an improved service over the course of the year as a result.
If you are unhappy about a service you have received, or a lack of service, please visit Feedback and Complaints and let us know your concerns by completing the form at the bottom of the page.
- I am concerned about being able to pay
We understand that many customers experience financial pressures. If you’re struggling to pay, help is available.
Click here to read our support leaflet about the help that is available to you if you’re struggling with budgeting, benefits, managing debt and keeping track of your energy costs.
Our Tenancy Sustainment Team offer support to customers who are most in need. Find out more here on our Tenancy support page.
To make sure that you are receiving all the financial support available to you, you can check on:
- Do I need to let Universal Credit know? If so, when?
Keep your rent increase letter which was sent to your in February 2026 safe – you will need it in April.
Wait until you are sent a ‘to-do’ for your Universal Credit account in April called ‘confirm your housing costs’.
Use the information in your rent increase letter to complete the ‘to-do’ before the due date to avoid problems with your payments.
How will this look?
On the day of the change you will get notifications in your ‘to do’ section of the Universal Credit journal.
If your rent is charged weekly, it will look like this:
If your rent is charged monthly, it will look like this:
Please note the different dates:
6 April 2026 if your rent is charged weekly
1 April 2026 if your rent is charged monthly
How to confirm housing costs: You will be asked to confirm your new rent and, if you pay them, service charges.
Do not use the ‘Change of circumstances’ ‘to-do’ to report your rent change.
Only do it once.
If you do not pay services charges, type £0.00.
If you have questions, the Universal Credit helpline is 0800 328 5644 (option 2).
- I have updated my Universal Credit journal to advise them of my new charges, but they have said they are still waiting for Brighter Places to confirm the charges.
Every year the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) who manage Universal Credit send us a large number of messages to check that the information about the rent increase that you have told them via your UC journal is correct. We aim to respond to these as quickly as possible so that you receive the correct amount of benefit.
Please do not submit another change of rent.
- Do I need to let Housing Benefit know?
If your housing benefit is paid directly to Brighter Places, we will let your Housing Benefit team know. However, we would encourage residents to also inform Housing Benefit of their rent change.
If housing benefit is paid to you, you need to contact the Housing Benefits team at your local council to let them know your rent has changed. Please do this as soon as you can.
The Housing Benefits team will probably ask you to notify them of a ‘change of circumstance’ and provide a copy of your rent notification letter confirming your rent from April 2026. Councils receive high volumes of calls so please give your council as much notice as you can.
Contact details for your local council are below.
If you receive partial housing benefit, the council will contact you to advise what your new entitlement will be. Once you have received this confirmation from the council, you can contact us and we will help you to calculate the payments you need to make to Brighter Places.
Call 0117 922 2300, Mon to Fri 8.30am – 6.00pm. Closed Wed 12.00-1.30pm.
Currently quoting 14 days for a response to a change of circumstance notification.
Call 01454 868002
The council has public offices at Kingswood, Yate and Patchway where you can hand in forms or speak to someone if you need help.
Call 0345 3022316
BANES usually want customers to manage their housing benefits online. If you cannot do that, you can call 01225 477777.
Somerset Council usually want customers to manage their housing benefit online. If you cannot do this, you can call 0300 123 2224.
- I pay by Direct Debit, what do I need to do?
We will change this for you, and you will receive a confirmation letter when this happens.
If you do not receive a letter before 1 April saying your direct debit has changed, please contact us on 0117 942 4600.
Please check your direct debit five days after the first payment is due to check the amount has been amended to reflect your rent change.
If your direct debit has not been changed or you think there is an error, please call us on 0117 942 4600.
- How do I change my standing order?
We can’t change your standing order so you need to make sure your bank has instructions to pay the new rent and service charge. You can do this by contacting your bank online, by phone or visiting a branch.
Please do this at least 10 days before your first payment in April is due.
If you don’t know how much to amend your standing order by, please ring us on 0117 942 4600. We will give you the details so you can contact your bank to make the change to your standing order.
If you change your rent payment to pay by direct debit instead, we can do this automatically for you in future.
- I pay weekly rent on a monthly basis. How much do I need to pay going forward?
To calculate your new monthly amount, multiply your weekly figure by 52 and then divide this by 12. An example of the calculation is below:
£ weekly figure x 52 (weeks) = yearly total.
Yearly total divided by 12 (months) = [MONTHLY TOTAL].
If you currently make additional payments as you have a repayment plan for a debt that you have with Brighter Places, then you will need to continue to pay the agreed amount in addition to this new monthly total.
If you are still in any doubt, please email RentandServiceCharges@brighterplaces.co.uk or call us on 0117 942 4600 and we can recalculate your monthly payments for you.
- I have a payment plan/court order in place to repay a debt, will this change?
If you currently make additional payments as you have a repayment plan for a debt that you have with Brighter Places, you need to continue to pay the agreed amount in addition to any increase in your rent and service charge from April.
A failure to adhere to a court order will put your home at risk as it is the legal requirement to pay.
If you have any questions about your payment plan/court order or your ability to pay then please email RentandServiceCharges@brighterplaces.co.uk or call us on 0117 942 4600.
- I don't understand the letter. Can I speak to someone or have it in another format?
Please email RentandServiceCharges@brighterplaces.co.uk or call us on 0117 942 4600 so that we can help you.
If you need the letter in Easy Read or translated into another language, please contact us and we will arrange that for you.
- I haven't received a letter about the changes to my rent from April 2026
Letters will be delivered to residents week starting 16 February 2025. If you have not received a letter by 28 February please contact us to request a duplicate letter. Email RentandServiceCharges@brighterplaces.co.uk or call us on 0117 942 4600.
- I moved in after the rent change letter was sent to customers, but before April 2025. Is the rent/service charge I pay changing?
No, your tenancy agreement will set out the rent and service charges for your new home and when you are liable to pay them.