Social housing rent cap 2026: how much your landlord can raise your rent

If you live in a council home or housing association property in England, there is a legal cap on how much your landlord can raise your rent.

From April 2026, the maximum rise is 4.8%. Your landlord can choose to raise your rent by less than this — or not at all. But they cannot charge you more.

Why there is a cap

Social housing is meant to be affordable for people on lower incomes. To protect tenants, the government sets a yearly limit for all registered social landlords — councils and housing associations.

The formula is CPI inflation from the previous September, plus 1 percentage point.

For the year from April 2026 to March 2027, CPI in September 2025 was 3.8%. Add 1%, and the maximum allowed rent rise is 4.8%.

The government has promised to keep a CPI-plus-1-percent style cap in place for at least 10 years. That gives you long-term certainty that rents cannot jump freely.

What 4.8% means in practice

Say your weekly rent before April 2026 was £130. A 4.8% rise is a maximum of £6.24 extra per week — so your new rent should be no more than £136.24.

To check your own rent increase:

1. Take your old weekly rent.
2. Multiply by 0.048 to find 4.8%.
3. Add that to your old rent. Your new rent should be no higher than this total.

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What it means if you get Universal Credit or Housing Benefit

If you live in social housing and get help with your rent through Universal Credit (UC) or Housing Benefit, your housing payment is based on your actual rent. This is different from the Local Housing Allowance cap that applies to private renters.

So if your social rent goes up by 4.8%, your housing element should increase to match it. You normally do not need to do anything extra — but it is a good idea to tell DWP or your council's Housing Benefit team when your rent changes, so your claim updates quickly and you do not end up with a shortfall.

What to do if your rent rise seems too high

If you think your landlord raised your rent by more than 4.8%:

1. Write to your landlord asking for a written explanation.
2. If you are not happy with the answer, contact Citizens Advice for free — advisers can help you check the figures and your options.
3. If you rent from a housing association and the problem is unresolved, you can take a formal complaint to the Housing Ombudsman. Their service is free and they can investigate whether your landlord followed the rules.