Residents in Gainsborough Court, Cottesmore left worried as Longhurst increases rent by £270 a month
An increase of nearly £300 a month has left residents across the area fearing for their futures.
John Stephen-Edhouse moved into a Longhurst-owned property in Gainsborough Court, Cottesmore, in the summer of last year paying £638 a month for his one-bedroom flat.
But following a review of rent and service charges by Longhurst he has been told the amount he pays will increase from April to £905 a month.
John, a retired HGV driver, said he was shocked when he received a letter about the charges.
“It is going to be tremendously difficult. An extra £267 a month is a lot of money,” he said.
A proportion of the increase is for ‘service charges’ – including cleaning, lighting, communal hot water and heating, and maintenance of shared areas including gardens and lifts.
John, a pensioner, says he has not had hot water since January.
Despite this, John enjoys the “friendly atmosphere” at the sheltered housing complex but says rising costs could force him to move.
Gainsborough Court has 23 flats, a communal lounge, laundry and kitchen facilities.
Fellow resident Sharon Lowden is also concerned about the increase.
She said: "I was notified that my bill is going up by about £300 a month. I currently pay £616 a month and cannot afford the extra.
"I'm on Universal Credit. It's mostly elderly people here but there are some younger ones."
Sharon’s new weekly charges include £91.66 for rent, a further £96.67 for services, as well as £9.80 for personal heating and a lifeline charge of £4.25.
Residents have contacted Longhurst and, should it fall on deaf ears, are ready to escalate their complaint to the housing ombudsman.
Brian Newton lives in a Longhurst property at The Lodge in Stamford Road, Oakham, and has also received a letter to say his service charges have increased.
"My bill is going up from £670 a month to £913 a month," he said.
"They are saying this is for communal areas but Longhurst staff have offices in our complex and I can't help feeling that the electricity for the computers and the heating they are using is being paid for by us, which seems grossly unfair.
"I work as a support worker for Rutland County Council and my wage is hardly going up but my monthly housing bill is up by £243.
"Although I work, there are a lot of people at The Lodge who are elderly or on benefits.
"It's mainly vulnerable people in the Longhurst homes in Oakham, and at Cottesmore. This is putting them under a lot of pressure."
MP for Rutland Alicia Kearns (Con) said: “I have been in regular contact with residents of several local housing associations and I have raised increases in service charges with ministers and the Housing Ombudsman on their behalf.
“It is unfair that some of the most vulnerable members of our communities in Rutland and Melton are facing such high increases.
“In the first instance, I would encourage all affected residents to submit a formal complaint to Longhurst.”
A Longhurst spokesperson said their priority is to ‘support customers to sustain their tenancies’ and continuing to provide ‘the best possible service’.
He added: “We understand that any increase isn’t welcome news, particularly given the other cost-of-living challenges our customers are facing.
“However, as outlined in our customers’ agreements with us, we review our rents and service charges at the beginning of each financial year.
“We reached this decision after seriously considering the costs we incur in providing services across our housing schemes.
“Like many businesses and housing associations, our costs have grown significantly and therefore these increases are critical to ensuring we can maintain and improve our homes and the services we provide.”
A 7.7% increase in Longhurst rents were calculated using the September 2023 Consumer Price Index increase of 6.7%, plus an additional 1%.
Service charges were calculated separately using Longhurst’s figures on the cost of delivering the services and the price charged by contractors.
The Government’s Universal credit standard allowance for a single person aged 25 and over is increasing in April from £368.74 to £393.45 per month. For joint claimants both aged 25 and over, the standard allowance will increase from £578.82 to £617.60 per month.
The Longhurst spokesperson said: “We would urge anyone who is concerned about this increase to contact us in the first instance to discuss their individual situation and how we may be able to help.”