Government is intent on cutting rent for social housing tenants, but that leaves housing associations with a big hole in their budgets

These credit crunch descriptors come to mind when trying to describe the potential impact of the Government’s seeming intent to cut the amount tenants will have to pay in rent next year. With experts suggesting that the retail price index will fall below minus 2% in September, the month when rent is set for the next year, housing associations, in particular, are warning of grim repercussions in linking social housing rent to inflation; with predictions that their income alone may fall by at least £260 million next year.

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