Please note the rent totals included in your rent letter do not take into account any Housing Benefit/Universal Credit/Saffron Rebate you may be entitled to.
Pay your rent
You can make a secure payment online via the AllPay website below.
FAQs
The government guides any changes in rent made by all housing associations, which includes Saffron. After consulting with housing associations and tenants, in November last year the government announced that any general needs properties (social and affordable) rent increases will be a maximum of 7% for the 2023/24 financial year.
Supported housing will not be part of this rent cap, so for these homes rent increases will be CPI+1%. CPI (Consumer Price Index) is a measure of inflation that is made every month. We are required to use September’s CPI which was 10.1%. Our homes which fall under supported housing will therefore see an 11.1% increase in rent. This increase is because a more complex service is needed for these types of homes because of the additional care and support needed.
We understand that any increase in rent, especially at this time, may be incredibly difficult for you. Just as your costs are going up faster than your income, Saffron’s costs are also going up at a faster rate than our income from rent. On average across all of the things we spend money on, our costs are going up by 12.8%.
Increasing rents directly enables us to tackle the cost of living by continuing to increase investment in improving homes and by making over 1% of rent available for immediate tenancy sustainment support in 2023/24.
We have more information about how your rent is spent, click here to find out more.
Generally, for a two-bedroom general needs property on average, your rent may increase by:
- £6.30 per week for tenants in a social rented property
- £8.08 per week for tenants in an affordable rented property
Please note that the above information is solely based on the rent element and is not inclusive of the service charges where applicable.
This financial year, 3rd April 2023 to 31st March 2024, is a 52-week year.
To calculate your new monthly amount, you will need to subtract any Housing Benefit/Universal Credit/Saffron rebate you may be entitled to from the new Gross weekly amount, then multiply this by 52 weeks and divide by 12 payments.
If you have a service charge, then you will notice an increase. The increase is due to the rising costs of our contracts with other companies, the cost of materials and energy.
Income from service charges means we can continue providing the relevant services at the levels expected by you.
Any service charge increase will be outlined in your letter.
We understand the rent increase comes at a time when the current economic climate is really challenging, but we need to increase the amount of money we spend on maintaining and improving your homes which includes making them more energy efficient. The rent increase will generate vital income helping us to achieve that.
We are committed to providing the best possible value for money for every pound of rent we receive.
Speak to us
Once you have received your rent letter and you know what any changes will be to you, you can contact Saffron and speak to us:
- Our Income Team can offer help and advice about any concerns you may have about paying your rent or service charge.
- Our Rent and Service Charge Team can help you with any queries you have about your service charge.
Please email info@saffronhousing.co.uk or call 01508 532000 and ask to speak to a member of the relevant team.
Support and advice
If you are worried about being able to pay your rent, we may be able to offer you support.
If you are not in full receipt of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit through our Tenancy Sustainment Fund. Please contact us to see if this is something you could apply for.
You may also want to apply to see if you are entitled to any support from Universal Credit. Benefit eligibility is partly relative to your household income not just your work status.
If you need help to pay your rent and you are of working age, please contact Universal Credit on 0800 3285644 or visit their website by clicking here. If you are of pension age, please contact your local authority.
You can also check to see if you are entitled by using the benefit calculator, by clicking here.
We continue to work in partnership with an organisation called Your Own Place to offer tenancy and independent living skills workshops for tenants. They cover a wide range of topics, such as – saving and budgeting, self-care, wellbeing, and digital skills. If you would like to attend one of the workshops, please contact us to find out more.
We also have a free and completely confidential Tenant Support & Wellbeing Service to help tenants with a number of issues including managing debt. The service is available 24/7 with specialist advisors on hand. For more information call 0330 094 5593.
In addition, there are a number of other organisations who can help you with money advice and support. Please speak to your Neighbourhood Officer who can help you speak to the right people. Or you may like to contact direct:
- Citizens Advice
- Turn 2 Us
- Step Change
- Money Helper (formerly the Money Advice Service)
We have lots of information on the rent advice and extra help with living costs pages offering support which includes, funds, workshops and energy saving tips which you may find beneficial.
How to pay your rent
Direct Debit
Direct debit is available. You can fill in the direct debit mandate which can be found by clicking here. You can then return it by either:
- Email to incometeam@saffronhousing.co.uk.
- Post to the Income Team, Saffron Housing Trust, Saffron Barn, Swan Lane, Long Stratton, Norwich, NR15 2XP.
You can also contact us on 01508 532000, we will arrange for your Income Officer to call you and process this request for you.
Payment dates will be either weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. You must continue to make payments yourself until you receive confirmation from us that your direct debit instruction has been processed. If you currently pay by standing order and you would like to change it to direct debit, it is your responsibility to cancel the standing order with your bank.
Tenant Portal
Don’t forget you can pay your rent and check your balance 24/7 using the tenant portal. For more information on what the portal offers and how to register, click here.