COUNCIL house tenants could see their rents drop next year as a new structure is rolled out.

A major review of rent across North Ayrshire has been undertaken in recent months with widespread consultation being carried out with tenants.

The new rent model was approved by North Ayrshire’s Cabinet and will be introduced from April 2018.

Earlier this summer, North Ayrshire Council announced the first major review of rent levels for a number of years, to look at the current charging system which is based loosely on size, type of property and the type of heating system installed. The current structure incorporates over 250 different rent levels.

Some tenants living in smaller-sized properties currently pay a higher rental charge than tenants of a larger-sized property. There are also examples of neighbours with the same size of property paying different rent charges due to historic discrepancies between the former Irvine Development Corporation and Cunninghame District Council.

After the first stage of the consultation showed tenants supported the move towards a fairer and simpler rent structure, the second stage of the consultation presented them with two separate models of a simplified rent structure – both of which would result in a decrease in rent levels for the majority of tenants.

57 per cent of respondents chose option two which would see 60 per cent of North Ayrshire’s 7,800 households see a decrease in their rent charge. Of the 40 per cent of households who face an increase, more than threequarters will see a maximum rise of £1 before the annual rent increase is applied.

There are a small number of tenants who face a larger rise due to previous charging anomalies however, it has been agreed to cap the increase in year 1.

Those facing an increase of more than £5 (about two per cent of tenants) are eligible for transitional relief and will have their increase implemented over a two-year period to minimise the impact of the rise.

The consultation exercise proved popular with tenants and some of the comments received about the new rent model included: “The system looks fair and easier for everyone to understand”, “Seems fair and well structured” and “Keeping things simple makes more sense and it is more likely to result in greater efficiency.”

Councillor Jim Montgomerie, Cabinet Member for Place, said: “We made it clear from the outset that this review of rent levels across North Ayrshire was about finding a rent structure that was simpler, fairer and easier to understand for all.

“The new model chosen by tenants is based on the size and type of property they live in and ensures no-one pays more or less than they should.

“In North Ayrshire, our tenants have rent levels which are below the Scottish average and neighbouring registered social landlords.

“The fact that the majority of tenants will actually pay less under our new model will reinforce our commitment to keep rent levels at a fair and reasonable level.”

The new rent structure will be introduced from April 2018.