Social Rented Housing: Rents
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps to ensure housing associations who raise rents for social housing tenants above inflation are using the increased revenue to invest in building new homes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook
Housing associations use income from social housing rents to deliver services to their tenants, manage and maintain their homes to the required standards, and invest in new homes.
Government does not place requirements on housing associations to use rental income to invest in new homes. However, we recognise the need to support them so they can build their capacity and make a greater contribution to affordable housing supply.
One way we are doing this is by providing capital grant through the Affordable Homes Programme. In October 2024, we announced an immediate one-year cash injection of £500m to the 2021-2026 Affordable Homes Programme over and above its £11.5bn budget, to support delivery of up to 5,000 new social and affordable homes.
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