The increase will enable the Association to continue to provide competitive and affordable rents, as well as allow for future investment in the maintenance of its housing stock.

CHA undertook an extensive consultation exercise including newsletter articles, holding a rent themed conference, issuing individual paperwork explaining the proposed increase and meeting with the local residents group.

Joe Farrell, CHA’s housing manager, said: “We are delighted to be able to limit our rent increase to 1.5%. The overwhelmingly positive response to our consultation demonstrates that our tenants seem satisfied with the rent policy mechanism and understand the reasons for the proposed rent increase. Tenants are, on the whole, happy with our rent policy as well as the method we use to set our rents.”

He added: “It is particularly pleasing to see that the majority of our tenants (84%) who currently live in one or two bedroom properties continue to be charged some of the lowest rents in the district for their size of home and limiting our rent increase to 1.5% for next year should enable us to maintain this position.”

CHA said it looks forward to being able to sustain or indeed exceed its high level of tenant satisfaction by continuing to provide excellent services to their tenants whilst at the same time ensuring their houses are maintained to a high standard with planned major repairs spend of £1.26 million budgeted for 2017/18.