Find out about the rent we charge for council homes and garages, and other associated charges.
- rent for council homes
- heating charges
- water charges
- independent living scheme charge
- communal area cleaning charges
- garden assistance scheme
- home contents insurance
- garage and garage site rent
Rent
We charge two types of rent on our council homes. Most are charged a social rent and a small number of properties are charged an affordable rent.
How are rents set?
Rent setting
In accordance with the Government’s National Social Rent Policy rents may increase by up to Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) plus 1%. The basis for annual rent increases is the September Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) which in 2025 was 3.8%, meaning the rent increase for April 2026 will be 4.8%.
This policy is also confirmed in the Regulator of Social Housing’s (RSH) Rent Standard, which applies to all social housing providers.
Homes charged a social rent
A social rent is calculated by a formula based on local earnings (70%) and property values (30%) in 1999 and then adjusted to account for the number of bedrooms in a property. Annual increases are then linked to the September rate of inflation. This formula sets a target rent for the property.
Homes charged an affordable rent
Chesterfield Borough Council’s ‘affordable rent’ homes are properties which were delivered through the Affordable Homes Programme 2011 to 2015. Affordable rent is subject to rent controls that limit the rent at letting of a new tenancy, to 80% of the local market rent (including service charges) at that time.
Whilst ever the tenancy remains unchanged, rent increases follow the Rent Standard which allows them to be increased by up to CPI + 1%.
On a change of tenancy, the rent must be re-calculated by reference to 80% of the market rent (again inclusive of service charges) at that date.
Our average rents for April 2026 to March 2027
Social rent (general needs) 8,492 properties - £103.87 per week
Social rent (independent living schemes) 141 properties - £110.10 per week
Affordable rent (general needs) 6 properties - £124.44 per week
Service charges
You may have to pay service charges if you have communal facilities or some specific services. Some charges are based on the size of your property or level of service that you receive. Service charges are set annually at rates set to recover the cost of providing the service.
Heating charges
Tenants that live in our independent living schemes are linked to a group heating scheme and pay for heat through a service charge. Service charges paid with the rent apply to all tenants linked to a group heating scheme.
Heating charges are not eligible for Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.
2026 to 2027 charge (per week):
- 1 bedroom - £27.32
- 2 bedroom - £28.09
- 3 bedroom - £28.86
Water charges
With the exception of some of our independent living schemes, we no longer collect water charges on behalf of Severn Trent. The weekly charge for water where we still collect is £4.17 per week.
This charge is not eligible for Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.
Independent living scheme service charge
A service charge is payable for the running and maintenance of the communal facilities at our independent living schemes and building monitoring functions. This includes the 24/7 monitoring of the Careline alarms, lifts, door entry panels, smoke and fire alarms. The service charge is £24.34 per week and applies to all independent living schemes. This will continue to be reviewed annually.
This charge is eligible for Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.
If you are a tenant in one of our independent living schemes you can subscribe to the Careline falls and response service for extra support if required. The additional cost is £6.96 per week paid by Direct Debit and is a separate agreement with Careline.
Find out more about Chesterfield Careline or speak to an independent living scheme support officer.
Communal area cleaning
The weekly cleaning charge for block of flats is £3.10 per week.
Communal area cleaning charges are eligible for Housing Benefit and the housing element of Universal Credit.
Other charges
The charges listed below are additional charges that you can choose to add to your rent account. Careline is charged separately.
Garden assistance scheme
The garden assistance scheme is available to tenants who have difficulty maintaining their gardens. The charges for the service are set out below. Find more information on eligibility for the scheme.
Charges for April 2026 to March 2027 (per week):
- grass cut - £4.85
- hedge cut - £0.94
- grass and hedge cut - £5.79
This charge is not eligible for Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.
Home contents insurance
Home contents cover is an additional charge that can be added to your rent account if you choose to take out home contents insurance through Chesterfield Borough Council. Find out more here.
Garages and garage sites
A charge is payable by both tenants and non-tenants who rent a garage or lease a garage site. Please note that VAT is also payable by non-Chesterfield Borough Council tenants.
Charges for April 2026 to March 2027:
- garage rent - £10.58 per week
- garage site (shale surface) - £78.29 per year
- garage site (asphalt) - £98.50 per year
- garage site (other) - £107.86 per year
Find out more information about garages and garage sites.