Rent and other charges

Your rent is calculated to cover the cost of the loan we had to take out to build your home and the costs of providing services to residents.

Your lease explains in detail how we review your rent, but simply it is reviewed once each year and rises in line with the Retail Price Index similar to inflation. Your rent is reviewed on the same day each year and we give you at least one month's notice of the new rent.

The lease agreement on shared ownership homes states that you must pay your rent by Direct Debit and payments are collected at the beginning of each month.

If you require a Direct Debit form or have any queries regarding your direct debit payments please contact the Home Ownership Team.

Rent Arrears

Rental income is important in helping us provide quality services we therefore take rent arrears very seriously. You should ensure that you pay your rent regularly and on the due date. If for some reason you cannot pay your rent you should contact the Home Ownership Team immediately to discuss the problem.

You should speak to us as soon as you think your account may go into arrears to try and prevent the problem from getting worse. We can give advice and assistance on Housing Benefit and other Welfare Benefits and where necessary make referrals to organisations who can help with multiple debts.

Service Charges

If you receive a communal service such as cleaning, caretaking or landscaping you will be asked to pay a service charge, which is based on the cost of providing that service.

The service charge will normally be collected monthly with your rent. The amount collected will be based on the estimate of the total cost of providing the services over a 12-month period.

During either July or August Midsummer will provide you with an individual service charge certificate signed by a Chartered Accountant. This will tell you how much was actually spent on providing the services over a 12-month period and how much service charge was paid. Any credit will be refunded to you, likewise if there is a deficit you will be asked to make a payment to cover the shortfall.