Rent increase

We know that any increase in your rent isn’t good news. We need to increase your rent because the costs of delivering services to you has gone up in line with inflation. This includes the cost of materials for repairs and maintenance to your home. 

If we didn’t put your rent up, then we simply wouldn’t have sufficient income to maintain your homes and provide services that we currently offer you. We might not be able to spend as much on making your homes more energy efficient, or we may need to reduce the scale of our improvement programme to your homes. We don’t think that’s fair.

We will notify by letter 28 days before the new rent is set, this is usually by the end of February. Your letter will explain what your new rent will be, including any service charges that you might pay.

We are a not-for-profit organisation. This means that all rent and service charges are used to maintain your home, provide essential services and to build much-needed new homes in the area. We do not make any profit, it’s all invested back into your homes and community.  

In 2026/2027 we plan to spend approximately £13 million on improving your homes. This includes repairs to your home, planned investment work like new kitchens and bathrooms and making your homes more energy efficient.  

We also use your rent to provide support services such as our Financial Wellbeing Service, our employability hub Reach and our community shop, The Market Place. 

A proportion of your rent pays for salaries and overheads. Employee salaries are tested against the local market so that they are fair and reflect the responsibilities that employees have in their day-to-day roles. 

We have a package of support to help you manage your bills and help make your money go further. 

Support with benefits 

• Our Financial Wellbeing team can help make sure you are getting all the support that’s available to you.
• Benefit checks - we can carry out a quick benefits check to ensure you are receiving the correct benefits.
• Expert advice - we’ll help you understand any changes to the benefits system so that you are clear about what you need to do.
• Advocacy and support - We will support you applying for benefits, and if you face unfair sanctions, or disagree with benefit decisions, we’ll help you to challenge them. 

Expert debt and budgeting advice

Juggling the cost of food, rent and other bills isn’t easy, but keeping on top of your rent is key to staying secure in your home. If you ever feel like your finances are getting out of hand, don’t worry, you’re not alone. We can refer you to expert organisations that offer practical debt and budgeting support, helping you to take back control. 

Save money on your weekly shop

Our community shop, The Market Place, is available to all SLH tenants, regardless of income. Simply sign up to become a member and you’ll be able to choose a selection of goods at low cost, helping you make your money go further. We can also issue foodbank vouchers to tenants who may be struggling.

Our priority is to support tenants to stay in their homes and manage their tenancies well. This means helping you to stay in credit or if you already owe us money, helping you to stop arrears increasing.  

Speak to us if you are struggling to pay your rent. Call us on 0330 303 3000 option 2 or email [email protected]. We will do all we can to support you. We will put you in touch with your income officer who will chat to you about your individual circumstances and put a package of support together to help you stay in credit or help you reduce any existing arrears. They will also signpost you to our Financial Wellbeing team who will help you make the most of your money. 

It is really important that you engage with us so that you are not at risk of losing your home. Tenants won’t lose their home if they are speaking to us about their financial situation and are seeking support. 

If you find yourself struggling with debt, it's important to get proper debt advice. All of the agencies below offer free, high-quality debt advice.   

National Debtline is a charity that gives free and independent debt advice over the phone and online.

Raise is a Liverpool-based charity providing free, confidential support to help people overcome financial hardship.

Christians Against Poverty is  a charity that provides free accredited debt advice.

Moneyhelper is the government's money advice website which offers a free-to-use bill prioritiser. 

If you receive Universal Credit, it is your responsibility to notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of the changes to your rent. Do this by logging into your online account and making the changes under ‘Confirm your housing costs’ to-do button. Follow the instructions to update your housing costs. 

You need to do this on the date your rent changes. If you do not do this, you will be underpaid your housing costs which will result in arrears on your rent account. DWP will not backdate any late notification beyond four weeks. Contact the Income team on 0330 303 3000 option 2 if you need further assistance. 

If you pay by Direct Debit, we will amend it on your behalf. You will receive notification from AllPay to notify you of the change in payment.

If you receive Housing Benefit, you do not need to do anything as we will inform Liverpool City Council of the change.