Blackpool Council wants to be clear about how they set and increase rents for tenants and future tenants of Blackpool Council, whose homes are managed by Blackpool Coastal Housing (BCH.)
To do this, Blackpool Council has produced and published their Rent Setting Policy. The policy informs tenants and future tenants on how rents will be set and increased.
In February 2026 the Government published the Rent Standard, 2026 which gives guidance to registered providers on how they want registered providers to set rents. As a registered provider, Blackpool Council’s Rent Setting Policy follows these rules.
The Blackpool Council Rent Setting Policy is available on Blackpool Council's website.
Why we need to increase rents
Blackpool has some of the lowest social rents in the country. In 2025 they were the 11th lowest in the country, out of 296 local authorities and many of our rents are set below social rents. (The table below provides a comparison of average social rents within Blackpool, the North West and England)
|
Area |
Average social housing rent |
|
Blackpool Council |
£87.19 |
|
All Blackpool |
£90.63 |
|
North West |
£100.51 |
|
England |
£113.69 |
Blackpool Council are committed to keeping social housing rents as low as possible, however they must also set rents to generate additional funding to invest back into their properties and the services BCH provides, to ensure that homes are safe and well maintained.
They also believe that rents should be set fairly and tenants in similar properties should pay the same rent.
What this means for future tenants:
When properties become empty, they will review the rent and re-set the amount to make it the same as similar social housing properties.
This includes applying ‘Rent Flexibility’ which allows rents to be increased by an extra 5% or 10%.
What this means for current tenants
Subject to Council approval, in April 2027 rents will be increased either:
- By the Consumer Price Index (CPI) + 1%. For 2026/27 this was a 4.8% rise.
For example; if the rent was £100 a week, it increased to £104.80 per week
- By CPI (Consumer Price Index) + 1% and an additional £1 a week to bring low rents in line with average social housing rents. This is known as ‘Rent Convergence’.
If all your rent is paid by Housing Benefit or Universal Credit (Housing Element), your benefits will increase when your rent increases.
If all or part of your rent (including any under-occupation charge) is not paid by Housing Benefit or Universal Credit then you will need to increase the amount you pay in line with the new rent charge.
If approved, all tenants will receive a rent increase notice with confirmation of the new rent amount and further advice.
Blackpool Council maintains that social housing rents will remain affordable for all current and future tenants, despite necessary annual increases.
We want to hear from you.
Our dedicated BCH Rents Team is available to provide advice and support with any rent-related queries. Please contact the team by emailing rent@bch.co.uk or calling 01253 477900 (option 1).