On 11 February 2025, we agreed the rent and charge increases for the 2025 and 2026 financial year. You will receive a letter from us giving formal notice of your individual charges.
Help is available if you are struggling to pay your rent.
The increases are:
- weekly and monthly rent: 2.7%
- garage rent: 5% or 5% plus £1
Your letter will inform you of any service charges associated with your property and the changes to these.
How your rent is calculated
Council housing rents are calculated using government guidelines.
Annual rent increases for local authority landlords, such as Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch Council, are currently set as CPI (Consumer Price Index) plus 1% by the government. This year is based on the September 2024 CPI of 1.7%.
How to pay your council home rent and service charge
Find out how to pay your council home rent and service charge.
Cheque refunds
We have introduced a new policy to stop all cheque payments, this includes housing rent refunds.
From 30 April 2024, if a housing rent refund is required, you will need to provide bank details in order for the refund to be paid directly into your account. If you are uncomfortable giving details over the phone, a form can be posted but this will slow down the refund process.
For tenants claiming Universal Credit (UC)
If you are on universal credit, please update your housing costs element following the instructions below. Housing costs will be paid directly to you as part of your universal credit award. You will need to contact the Income Team to set up a payment arrangement.
Log in to your universal credit account. From the home page, go to "Report a change of circumstances", then select "where you live and what it costs".
Enter your rent details from your tenancy agreement:
- rent: enter the full amount (pounds and pence) per week
- service charges: enter the full amount (pounds and pence) per week
- number of rent free weeks: 0 per year
- name of landlord: BCP Homes (formerly BCP Council/PHP)
- start date: the date shown on your tenancy agreement or when you moved in
If you need any help, please call us on 0800 028 1870 and ask to speak to a member of the Income Team or Your Money Team.