The region continues to have the lowest average weekly rent of all local authorities in Scotland, between 41-46% below the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) levels, depending on the size of the property.

Tenants are being asked about two options:

• A 6% increase, which will fund housing investment, maintain the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) compliance, and support a new build and acquisition programme;
• A 7% increase, which would enable an accelerated program for kitchen and bathroom upgrades.

The consultation – which will run until Friday 3 January - will involve an online survey alongside direct contact with tenants, the Register of Interested Tenants and Moray Tenant’s Forum to seek their feedback.

The results will be considered by elected members before a decision on any changes are made.

Chair of Moray Council’s Housing and Community Safety Committee, Cllr Amber Dunbar, said: “This consultation is a vital opportunity for tenants to have their say on the proposed rent changes, which will ensure that we continue to provide quality housing while also supporting investment in new homes and upgrades to existing properties.

“We want to hear from as many tenants as possible so that we can make informed decisions that balance affordability with the need to maintain and improve our housing stock.”

The proposal comes as a new survey revealed that council tenants in Moray are more satisfied with their services than the Scottish average.

Between July and September 2024, more than 1,500 tenants chosen at random were interviewed by phone for the latest Tenant Satisfaction Survey.

The survey, which is conducted by an independent market research company on behalf of Moray Council’s housing service, aims to gather tenant views on a range of subjects affecting their homes and tenancies.

The results found:

• 81.7% of tenants were satisfied with the Council’s overall service, compared to an average of 79.4% across all Scottish councils;
• 81% were satisfied with the quality of their home, compared to the Scottish average of 79%;
• 83.7% were satisfied with being kept informed about services and decisions, above the Scottish average of 82.6%;
• 78% rated their rent as very good or fairly good value for money, slightly below the Scottish average of 78.8%;

When asked what could be done to improve the housing service, the most requested change was improvements to the repair service; with 17.6% of respondents ranking this their top priority.

Chair of Moray Council’s Housing and Community Safety Committee, Cllr Amber Dunbar, said: “I’m pleased that overall satisfaction is high, and that most tenants are happy with the quality of their homes and view their rent as being good value.

“Our housing team takes great pride in the level of service they provide our residents, and they are committed to making further improvements which will, ultimately, continue to ensure they have a comfortable place to call home.”