Monday October 6th 2025
East Lothian Council headquarters
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
With East Lothian councillors taking a decision on the wider council budget in a special meeting in February 2026, a letter and questionnaire has been sent to all council tenants explaining the proposal for a rent increase for 2026/27.
A six week consultation is now live (ending on Friday 14 November), seeking feedback from tenants after the council explained that they must increase council rents next financial year to continue to deliver their housing service.
With last year’s increase allowing the council to prioritise £1 million investment in new windows and doors for tenants, the budget decision in February will include rent increase forming part of the process.
The recent letters sent will ask tenants about three options for the increase.
Councillor Andy Forrest, Cabinet Spokesperson for Housing and Property Maintenance, said:
“While we understand the financial pressures that everyone is facing, the fact is we must increase council rents for the 2026-27 financial year to continue to deliver our housing service. This covers the costs of repairs and maintenance, modernisation of our homes and new build developments.
“Last financial year the rent increase of 6.5% allowed us to sustain service delivery and prioritise £1m of investment to accelerate the replacement of windows and doors in line with what tenants told us was a priority for them. Your rent also enables us to continue to make sure our properties meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard by replacing kitchens and bathrooms and carrying out energy efficiency measures.
“This year we are looking at a minimum increase of 7%, which is an average increase of £6.12 per week. We know this proposal will be disappointing for some tenants given the financial pressures we all face, but we must balance those pressures with being able to provide a level of service that addresses the high demand for council housing and our need to keep homes safe, secure and well-maintained.
“Feedback from tenants and ELTRP will be crucial to us in taking a final decision on the increase and ensuring the money is spent on the services that tenants most value. We know from previous feedback that most tenants think that the rent they pay is good value for money and that East Lothian has one of the lowest rent levels for council properties in Scotland.”
The three options being proposed are:
– 7% (average £6.12 per week) – the minimum required to deliver the service.
– 8% (average £7 per week) – to help improve the service further and to invest an additional £1 million to advance the modernisation programme and to increase potential investment in new housing to meet the needs of our tenants.
– An additional rent increase but no bigger than an average £8 per week – to help improve the service further, to invest an additional £1 million to advance modernisation and to ensure we are prepared for future energy efficiency standards.
The questionnaire can be posted back to the council or it can be completed online here.
At the full Midlothian Council meeting on October 21st Midlothian councillors will consider a report about our rent setting strategy for coming years and one of the recommendations is to consult with the public about this.
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