Council house rents to support investment and maintain affordability

Stirling Council tenants will continue to benefit from some of the lowest rents in Scotland following a Special Meeting yesterday (February 16).

A picture of a new build social housing development in Stirling
Stirling Council tenants benefit from some of the lowest rents in Scotland.

A 2.9% increase in rents, less than a third the rate of inflation (10.1%), has been approved by Councillors.

Stirling Council’s average rent last year was the second lowest of all Local Authorities in Scotland and the new rate supports the view of the majority of Council tenants.

Tenants were consulted in December 2022 on potential rate increases of 2.9%, 3.1% or 3.3%, with the vast majority of residents who responded (68.99%) supporting a 2.9% increase.

The average rent will increase by £2.26 per week over the 48-week rental period, from £77.59 in 2022/23 to £79.85 in 2023/24.

Continued Investment

This will raise an additional £656,000 to meet pressures on staffing and inflation costs and support continued investment in new homes and maintaining older homes.

Stirling Council rents are, on average, 26% lower than other social landlords in the local area and 178% lower than the average rents in the private rented sector.

Stirling Council will now write to tenants to notify them of the new rent charges for their properties for 2023/24.

A recording of the Special Meeting can be viewed here: https://stirling.public-i.tv/core/portal/home