Decision details

To approve North Yorkshire Council’s Rent Setting Policy, which sets out a clear and transparent county-wide approach to setting the rent charged for its Social Rent, Affordable Rent and Shared Ownership properties as a landlord. The policy clarifies the statutory and regulatory obligations which the Council will follow and ensure that a fair and consistent approach is adopted across all housing management areas.

Approval to adopt the proposed North Yorkshire Council Rent Setting Policy and delegate authority to the Corporate Director for Community Development to make minor amendments to the policy as required by changes in regulation or legislation.

The Rent Setting Policy sets out a clear and transparent approach to setting rents post-LGR, ensuring consistency and transparency for tenants and leaseholders. It ensures the Council meets its statutory and regulatory obligations, as set out in the Rent Standard and the government’s Policy Statement on Rents for Social Housing, as well as any capital funding conditions.

The proposed policy also supports the Council’s wider strategic aims by ensuring fairness and transparency for all tenants, and by contributing to its commitment to strengthen governance and oversight through policy development and harmonisation. It ensures that these priorities will be met in the rent setting process through robust performance monitoring, completed via regulatory return and regular audits.

Not to create a single Rent Setting Policy and continue with a Rent Setting Policy in place only for the former Selby District Council area. This would have failed to provide the level of transparency required by the Regulator of Social Housing and would have risked inconsistencies in applying the Rent Standard.