Moray Council agree 3% house rent increase

MORAY Council has agreed increases in charges for council house and garage rent as well as grass cutting for the year ahead.

The council says that even with the agreed 3 per cent increase in rent, it continues to have one of the lowest overall average weekly housing rents in Scotland.

The 3 per cent increase will see average council house rent rise by £1.86 to £63.93 per week.

Nearly 6000 tenants were consulted on a range of options on council house rents for 2021/22 during December last year to January 8. Around 10 per cent of tenants responded.

Over 58 per cent of tenants who responded to the consultation voted for the 3 per cent rent rise.

And more than 77 per cent of respondents said they’d be willing to pay higher rent to maintain the quality of their houses and improve stock.

The council says the rent increase ensures it can continue to prioritise upgrades to heating systems, smoke and CO2 detectors; carry out electrical testing; build up to 50 new council homes a year, and meet required energy efficiency ratings.

A 3.5 per cent increase to grass cutting charges will support the number of new houses due for completion in 2021/22, with the 7 per cent increase to garage rents in line with its two-yearly increase.

Convener of Moray Council, Councillor Shona Morrison, said: "We’re grateful to our tenants who responded to the consultation. More than double the number of responses to the previous year shows an extremely engaged group of people who recognise the need for increases, to ensure we can continue with improvements to properties.

"Some housing improvement work was paused during the Covid-19 lockdowns but the programme is set to resume once current restrictions are lifted.

"We appreciate the pandemic may also have adversely affected tenants’ financial situation and anyone concerned about their ability to make their rent payments should check our website to find out what assistance is available."