Guidance on social rent reduction

The Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 requires registered providers of social housing in England to reduce social housing rents by 1% a year for four years from April 2016, from a frozen 2015/16 baseline, and to comply with maximum rent requirements for new tenancies.

New regulations, the Social Housing Rents (Exceptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2016, have now been issued. These regulations set out exceptions to and circumstances in which exemptions may be given from the rent regime.

The DCLG has published guidance explaining the details of how the rent reductions must be applied.

• DCLG guidance: Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 - social rent reduction
• Social Housing Rents (Exceptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2016