Public sector housing rents set to rise in April

People living in public sector homes in the Isle of Man will see their rent rise next year, it has been announced.

The new charges will increase from 1 April and the amount will depend on the quality and size of a home.

An older three-bed house with a garden and off-road parking will see an increase of about £7 a week, while a similar new-build will go up by £16.

Social care minister Chris Robertshaw said: "This is a fairer system, if you have more you will pay more."

He added that the charges would also take into account any recent improvements made to the property paid for by the public purse.

"Overall rent increases for tenants of older properties with limited amenities will be much lower than for tenants in new build energy efficient properties," Mr Robertshaw said.

"This exercise is the next step in providing an equitable and transparent rent charging system and it is a prerequisite to the ultimate introduction of means testing."

Taking the changes into account the rent for a new three-bedroom public sector house with a garden and off-road parking will cost about £95 a week.

Renting a similar property in the private sector on average would be about £250 a week.