Frequently asked questions about your rent charges
Rent will be charged across 53 weeks this year.
Every five to six years, there are 53 Mondays in a year instead of the usual 52 and 2024/2025 is one of these years. This means 53 weeks’ rent will be charged rather than the usual 52 weeks. The first charge date being 1 April 2024 and the final charge date being 31 March 2025.
Will I still receive the 4 rent free weeks?
Yes, if you are not in arrears, you will still have the four rent free weeks, two in December and two in March, but this year you will have one more weekly charge than normal. Instead of 48 weekly rent payments there will be 49.
What if I claim Universal Credit?
If you receive Universal Credit, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) will only pay for 48 weeks, so you will need to pay the additional week’s rent to cover the 49 weeks.
If you are impacted by this, we can help you set up a payment plan where you pay a little extra each week during the year to cover the additional week’s charges and avoid going into arrears. Please contact us to arrange this.
What if I claim housing benefit?
If you receive housing benefit you don’t need to do anything as this will be covered.
What if I pay monthly by Direct Debit?
If you pay by Direct Debit you don’t need to do anything, we will do this calculation for you and automatically adjust your payments. If you pay by any other method, you will need to adjust your payments.
How will I calculate my payments?
To calculate how much rent you should be paying will depend on what type of customer you are and how frequently you pay Salix Homes.
Customers who pay rent weekly
You will pay 49 weeks in 2024/2025 rather than 48 weeks. For example, if your rent and service charges are £120 per week you will pay this 49 times and have four rent free weeks, if you are not in arrears.
Customers who pay rent weekly in receipt of Universal Credit
If you are in receipt of Universal Credit (UC) then you will be required to make up any shortfall. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) calculate your monthly rent by multiplying your weekly rent by 48 and then divide this by 12.
For example, if your rent and service charges are £120 per week then your monthly payment will be £480 from the DWP for your housing element of UC. Your monthly rent and service charge from Salix Homes will be £490 per month so there will be a £10 per month shortfall to pay.
Customers who pay their weekly rent monthly
You need to update your payment. For example, if your rent and service charges are £120 per week you need to pay the following:
£120 x 49 weeks divided by 12 months = £490
If you are impacted by this, we can help you set up a payment plan where you pay a little extra each week during the year to cover the additional week’s charges and avoid going into arrears. Please contact us to arrange this.
You can pay your rent by signing up for a MySalix online account. This allows you to set up a Direct Debit, make a payment, check your rent balance, report repairs and issues.
There are also lots of other ways to pay your rent including over the phone and by text. To find out the way that suits you best visit our Payments page or call 0800 218 2000.
Your housing benefit will be automatically recalculated to take your new rent and service charge (if they apply), into account. Salford Council will send your new benefit entitlement details in April 2024.
You must inform the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) of the rent change yourself by updating your Universal Credit online account by Monday, 1 April 2024. Your claim might be affected if you do not report a change in your circumstances.
If you already have a standing order set up with your bank or building society you will need to amend it to take into account the rent increase.
Your Direct Debit will automatically be amended to take into account the rent increase. Paying by Direct Debit is easy to set up using MySalix or by calling 0800 218 2000.
In April 2024, rents will increase by 7.7%. For example, this would mean a rent charge of £93.57 a week would increase by £7.20 to £100.77 per week.
Like all social housing providers, we follow the Government’s guidelines on rent setting, and each year we use its formula for calculating how much we increase our rent. This formula is based on inflation plus 1%, so that rent levels remain affordable.
Inflation means that the things we need to buy are generally going up rather than down (deflation), which means you need more in your pocket to pay for goods like a loaf of bread or a pint of milk, for example.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is used to help measure inflation. It looks at how much the price of common goods and services change over time, across the UK.
The inflation rate is based on the annual change in CPI (Consumer Price Index) in the previous September. This year, your rent is increasing by 7.7% which is the CPI (as of September 2023, 6.7%) plus a further 1%.
We understand that many people will be struggling with the cost of living. If you are finding it difficult to pay your rent and other bills, whether you are in receipt of benefits or not, please speak to our Income Team. They can provide free support. We can also put you in touch with independent agencies, who provide free impartial advice. We may also be able to offer some financial support to those who find themselves in extreme financial hardship.
We enclosed with your letter a list of organisations to help, if you prefer to contact them directly.
You can find details of these organisations and more information here.
You may also have to make regular payments towards any existing arrears you owe. This remains unchanged for the coming year and you need to continue to pay this as previously agreed.
The date your new charges will apply is noted at the top of your letter. If you have already received a notice of our intention to seek a Court Order for possession of your home, this letter does not withdraw this notice.
If you still need help, please contact us on freephone 0800 218 2000, email enquiries@salixhomes.co.uk or through your online MySalix customer account.
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