Rent increases and other charges

Rent charges for April 2026 to March 2027

Council rents for April 2026 to March 2027 will increase by 4.8% to help make sure we can take care of your home, provide frontline services and tackle the issues that matter most to you.

A 4.8% increase means the average weekly rent in Islington will increase by £6.73. This increase meets the Social Housing Regulators’ standards for social landlords of increasing rents by the September Consumer Price Index - which in 2025 was 3.8% - plus 1%.

Properties managed by Partners for Improvement in Islington

If your home is, or used to be, managed by Partners for Improvement in Islington (PFI), over time we are moving you to the same level of rent as the rest of our social housing. 

For April 2026 to March 2027, this means we are lowering your rent increase by up to 50 pence per week. Your increase will be less than 4.8%.

What you will pay from 6 April 2026

The new charges are shown in your rent charge change letter. 

The total weekly amount does not include costs for parking or storage facilities and Housing Benefit entitlement (if you get it). You will get a full list of charges on your next statement by 6 April 2026.

Service charges

The weekly tenant service charge over the year (52 weeks) for caretaking and estate services will increase from £21.41 to £22.95, an increase of 94 pence per week.

The overall tenant service charge is increasing by 4.4%, mainly because of increased staffing costs and in agreed amounts for contracts (contractual inflation).

From 6 April 2026 the charges are:

• Caretaking: £15.45
• Estate services: £6.90

Estate services include shared lighting, repairs and grounds maintenance.

Refund policy

We will give you a refund if there was no caretaking for more than five working days in a row.

The refund rate from 6 April 2026 will be £4 per day from the sixth working day with no caretaking until it starts again. Refunds will be paid into your rent account (after any Housing Benefit adjustment).

You can ask for a refund by contacting us on 020 7527 5300 or at homesandcommunities@islington.gov.uk.

Concierge charges

If you have a concierge and CCTV, there are four levels of charges based on where you live.

• Category A - in the same block as the concierge and using the entrance and exits covered by the concierge office
• Category B - on the same estate as the concierge, but not the same as category A
• Category C - remote (many cameras)
• Category D - remote (a smaller number of cameras)

Charges have increased by 4.8% mostly because of the increase in staffing costs. 

Weekly charges from 6 April 2026 are:

• Category A: £21.99
• Category B: £16.52
• Category C: £9.91
• Category D: £3.11

Digital TV

The weekly charge for maintenance costs for digital TV aerials stay at the same rate for April 2025 to March 2026, 22 pence per week. 

Heating charges

Gas prices are still going up and down during the year but prices overall at the time of buying gas for housing will be similar to last year.

Parking charges

This information is for all Islington council tenants, members of their household and leaseholders or freeholders who pay service charges to Islington Council for the home that they live in. 

For rent and service charge payers, the parking charges will increase by 3.8% in April 2026 to March 2027. Charges are based on vehicle carbon emissions and engine size.

When parking permits or garage letting agreements are renewed, we will check the vehicle emission band to make sure you are being charged the right amount. We will write to let you know if there are any changes.

Discounts for Islington Council residents that hold a disability Blue Badge issued by either Islington Council or another local authority will stay the same: 50% or 100% depending on the qualification criteria.

As well as weekly estate parking charges, there is a surcharge of £259.29 per year (£4.99 per week) for all vehicles that use diesel fuel. This is the same as non-estate parking across Islington.

The charges apply from 6 April 2026. All tenants renting a parking facility will get a separate letter with their charges on it.

Charges for April 2026 to March 2027

Emission bands

Carbon emission and engine sizes	Emission band A	Emission band B	Emission band C	Emission band D
Carbon CO2 rating (grams per kilometre)	1-120	121-150	151-185	186+
Engine size (cylinder capacity or cc)	up to 1100	1101-1399	1400-1850	1851+

Standard charges for tenants and resident service charge payers (weekly charges)

Emission bands	A	B	C	D
Garage	£12.59	£25.19	£25.19	£27.71
Car cage	£5.89	£11.78	£11.78	£12.95
Parking space	£3.22	£6.41	£6.41	£7.06
Internal garage	£17.36	£17.36	£17.36	£17.36
Garages used for non-vehicle storage	£27.71	£27.71	£27.71	£27.71

Other Islington borough residents and non-residents (weekly charges)

Emission bands	A	B	C	D
Garage	£28.32	£56.54	£56.54	£62.17
Car cage	£13.27	£26.43	£26.43	£29.08
Parking space	£7.79	£16.58	£16.58	£22.80
Garages used for non-vehicle storage	£57.65	£57.65	£57.65	£57.65

We are also continuing our policy to lower estate parking charges by one band for registered taxi (black cab) drivers because of the vehicle they use. 

Tenant and resident service charge payers with electric vehicles continue to have free access to our estate parking facilities.

Islington borough residents and non-residents (any Islington borough residents who are not tenants and resident service charge payers and people who do not live in the borough) will continue to be charged at Band A rates.

Rent statements 

The next rent statement will be sent out in March and will include a full list of the rent charges from 6 April 2026, as well as details of Housing Benefit entitlement (if you get it).

You should get your rent statement and new payment calendar to record your payments before 6 April 2026.

If you need help working out the weekly amount you need to pay, contact helpwithrent@islington.gov.uk.

Housing Benefit

If you get Housing Benefit, we will send you a letter that will give you details of your new benefit entitlement and the new amount you should pay each week.

For Housing Benefit applications or questions, call 020 7527 4990, or download an application form.

If you are making a new claim for Housing Benefit and are of working age you may need to claim Universal Credit instead.

Universal Credit

If you get Universal Credit, you must tell the Department for Work and Pensions about any changes in your rent charges.

Tenants should keep their letter safe for April. Wait for the ‘Confirm your housing costs’ to-do in April, then use the letter to complete it before the due date to avoid payment issues. Only use the ‘Confirm your housing costs’ to-do to report these changes. Do not contact Universal Credit any other way. 

Report this change by signing into your Universal Credit account online or calling 080 0328 5644. 

Direct Debit payers

If you by Direct Debit, you will get a letter with new payment details from 6 April 2026.

Support to help you cope with rent payments

If you are worried about how you are going to manage your rent payments, we can help. Do not ignore your rent payments.

Contact us on:

• email: helpwithrent@islington.gov.uk 
• phone: 020 7527 5300

We can also support you to claim benefits or check that you are getting the right money:

• email: claimit@islington.gov.uk
• phone: 020 7527 8600

Paying your rent by Direct Debit

The easiest way to pay your rent is by Direct Debit. Most bank or building society accounts including basic bank accounts can be used to make payments by Direct Debit. Some of the advantages of paying by Direct Debit are:

• payments are made for you by your bank or building society
• no queuing at the post office or other pay points
• your payments will be received on time each month
• no paperwork or postage costs

Switch to paying your rent by Direct Debit for the first time and we will credit your rent account with a £10 payment for switching.