Your rent helps us provide and maintain high-quality homes, invest in our communities, and deliver services from repairs and home improvements to support with money, employment and the cost of living. 

On this page, you'll find information about how we set rents, when rents are reviewed, how to check your rent account, and where to get support if you're worried about making payments.  

How do you set my rent?

We know that rent is one of the most important household expenses, so we want to be clear about how it's calculated. 

When we set our rents, we follow rules set by the Government and the Regulator of Social Housing. Our aim is to keep rents affordable while making sure we can continue to invest in our homes, services and communities.  

Many Southway customers live in homes with a social rent tenancy. Social rents are set using a government formula that considers factors like:  

  • The location of the home 

  • The number of bedrooms 

  • The value of the property 

Some customers have an affordable rent tenancy. Affordable rents are set using different government rules and are linked to local market rents, while also taking affordability into account. Affordable rents can be up to 80% of local market rent.

When do you review my rent?

We, and all other housing associations, review our rents every year using government guidance, which is tied to a measure of inflation called the Consumer Price Index (CPI). 

Any changes we make to our rents normally take effect from the start of a new financial year in April. There are some exceptions, with changes taking effect from June for a very small number of Southway homes. 

If your rent is changing, we'll write to you beforehand to let you know: 

  • What your new rent will be 

  • When the new rent will start 

  • Whether there are any changes to your service charges 

We'll always give you notice before any changes take effect, as well as letting you know if there's anything you need to do.

How can I check my rent account?

You can check your rent account at any time through our tenant portal, MySouthway. 

MySouthway allows you to: 

  • Check your balance 

  • View your rent account 

  • Keep track of payments 

Log into MySouthway

How can I pay my rent?

There are lots of different ways to pay your rent. 

Visit our Ways to Pay page to find the payment option that's right for you.

Have a question or worried about paying your rent? We're here to help

If you have a question about your rent, please get in touch using our Contact Us page and we'll be happy to help. We have a dedicated team on hand to support you.

If you're worried about paying your rent or are struggling with the cost of living, support is available. Visit our Cost-of-Living Support Hub for advice, practical support and information about the help we can offer. 

If you'd like to find out more about how we set rents and service charges, you can read our Rent Setting and Service Charge Policy.