Hounslow Council Opts for Maximum Rent Increase

Council tenants will see bills rise by at least 4.8% this year

Picture: AI Generated

January 29, 2026

Hounslow Council tenants can expect to see their housing costs increase this year as the authority plans to increase rents and fees.

Social rent is due to rise by the highest amount allowed in law, which is 4.8 per cent. This is one among many changes outlined by Hounslow Council as the budget season approaches.

For those living in a council-owned studio flat, the annual cost will increase by £271 per year, with rent reaching £455.24 per month. For a one-bedroom property, rent will increase by £290 per year to £486.12 per month.

Council tenants in a two-bedroom home will face an increase of £332 per year with rent hitting £557.12 per month. If you live in a three-bed, you can expect a £381 per year increase in rent reaching £638.84 per month.

The largest increase is for anyone living in a four-bedroom property, with rent expected to increase by £485 per year, hitting £730.60 per month. That means on average, council tenants in the borough will face an annual increase of £334 to their rent in 2026/2027.

There is the possibility that rent could increase further than this under a policy being considered by the council known as “rent convergence”. Social rents are set using a government formula based on the property’s size and value – also known as the target rate.

Currently, 11,400 properties in Hounslow are being let below the target rate, and are charged £7 less on average than they could be. The council is considering adding a £1 per week surcharge to tenants in these properties.

If agreed, this is projected to generate an additional £500,000 per year for the council – funding which is ring-fenced for housing repairs and new home building. However, the Government is yet to finalise the rules on this policy.

The good news is if you are a tenant on the council’s district heating network, you can expect to save on this year’s bills. The consumption charge will be reduced by an average of £2.94 per week, – which is £155.82 per year – due to lower gas tariffs.

A council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service [LDRS] , “Since the 2025/26 charge was set, gas costs have reduced following several years of sharp increases. To ensure that this is passed onto tenants, the district heating gas consumption charge has been reduced from an average of £22.79 per week in 2025/26 to an average of £19.65 per week.”

There is set to be an increase in the cost of estate maintenance for council tenants living on housing estates. Cabinet have voted in favour of increasing this by 18.2 per cent.

Hounslow Council told the LDRS that the council seeks to set service charges and consumption charges at a level that recovers the cost of delivering the service and passes on any savings to residents.

This is expected to cost residents £28.62 more per year. The increase has been brought in to cover the cost of cleaning external communal areas, which are currently not included in the maintenance charge.

Hounslow Council says that the impact of rent freezes in recent years means that increases in social rent remain below inflation over the last 10 years. According to the council, the new average rent of £140.21 a week will still be low compared to similar areas of the country.

Philip James Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter