Your rent

Your rent is due every Monday and must be paid weekly, fortnightly or monthly, in advance.

We will review your rent each year. If it goes up, we’ll write to you at least 4 weeks in advance of the increase.

Any rent increases usually start in the first week of April.

Pay your rent

Proposed rent increases for 2024 to 2025

We are proposing to increase the rents for our council homes by 7.7% from Monday 1 April 2024 in line with the national rent policy.

This means that, if agreed, the average council rent would increase by £7.91 a week from £115.68 to £123.59.

This year’s planned increase follows the usual national policy of increasing rents by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as of September plus 1%. In September 2023 the CPI was 6.7%.

The majority of tenants’ service charges will also increase in line with September’s CPI figure.

Our rents would still remain among the lowest in London, but it would mean we can continue to invest in our homes and deliver the services important to our residents.

We are asking anyone renting one of our homes for their views on the proposals, so councillors can take them into account when they make their final decision on rents and service charges in January.

Your rent account

Call 020 8356 3100 to find out your rent account balance.

Missing payments

Payments might take a while to reach your rent account, depending on your method of payment. For example, bank standing order, Post Office and Paypoint payments can take up to 5 working days to appear in your rent account.

If you have made a payment and you are concerned that you can’t see the payment in your rent account statement, you can email us at housing.rents@hackney.gov.uk. or call us on 0208 356 3100. We’ll need the following information to help us locate the payment:

  • receipt reference or copy of receipt
  • date of payment
  • amount paid
  • how payment was made

Rent refunds

If you have overpaid your rent, you can apply for a refund. Your account will be checked to make sure the credit balance is correct and that you don’t owe any other debts to the Council. If any debts are owed, they will be paid before any refund is agreed.

Refunds can be paid by BACS transfer directly into your bank account or by cheque.

How to request a refund

Download and complete the refund application form:

Send completed forms by:

  • post to Rent Accounts, Hackney Council, Christopher Addison House, 72 Wilton Way, London E8 1BJ
  • email to housing.rents@hackney.gov.uk
  • fax to 020 8356 2240

Money you owe at the end of your tenancy

You must clear your rent account at the end of your tenancy. If you are no longer a council tenant but still owe arrears, we will chase this debt.

What you can expect from us when paying rent

Our approach

  • offer you a wide range of ways to pay rent
  • offer financial incentives and a choice of dates to pay rent by direct debit
  • provide tenants with information about when rent is due and where and how it can be paid
  • provide a rent statement, on request, from any Neighbourhood Housing Office
  • provide advice and assistance on debt management, housing benefit and other welfare benefits or refer a tenant to other agencies, if specialist advice is needed
  • provide advice and assistance on completing a housing benefit application and about other benefits and grants which tenants might be able to claim
  • ensure Housing Benefit payments are credited to the rent account on time

Our service standards

  • we will aim to collect 100% of rent due
  • we will set up a rent account and provide a rent payment card for new tenants within 3 days of the tenancy date
  • we will not increase rents above the recommendation from the social housing regulator

We’ll also:

  • inform tenants of any rent increase at least four weeks before this must be paid
  • write to you each year (in January or February) to confirm the rent and other charges for the coming year
  • provide a breakdown of the gross rent within 10 working days of receiving a request
  • respond to balance queries and requests for replacement rent cards within 3 working days
  • process all refunds of rent credit within 3 days of receiving a written request to do so
  • notify Housing Benefit within 5 working day of any change in a tenant’s circumstances or rent
  • reply in writing to a request for rent and tenancy references from lending institutions within 5 working days
Page updated on: 27 November 2023

Income Services

Telephone

Opening times

  • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday – 9am to 5pm (telephone)
  • Wednesday – 9am to 4pm (telephone)