Making a Difference
to people's lives

Rent charge over 53 weeks - FAQs

The Wrekin Housing Group charge rent every week on a Monday and during 2024/25, there will be 53 weeks. Here is some guidance to help you understand what this means for you.

Why is there a change this year?

There are 52 weeks in a normal year, which means we issue 52 weekly charges for rent. Every five to six years, there are 53 Mondays in a year instead. 2023/2024 is one of these years. This means 53 weeks rent are charged rather than the usual 52.

You may need to make a change to your payments depending on how you pay your rent. The extra week is factored into the calculation that we make when creating your payment plan for the year. This extra week is spread across each of your payments.

How you pay your rent

Direct debit

  • If you pay by direct debit, we’ll update the amount automatically and contact you to confirm the new collection amounts.

Standing order

  • If you pay by standing order, you’ll need to contact your bank to update the amount.

If you pay weekly, you will see your rent will increase as we move from the old financial year into the new one.

Many of our customers who pay monthly want to know how to turn the weekly rent into a monthly payment and the example below demonstrates this. We will automatically do this for you when we create your new Direct Debit.

To calculate how much rent you should be paying each month, multiply your weekly rent amount by 53 and then divide it by 12.

For example, if your rent was £120 per week you would use the following calculation:

  • 120 x 53 ÷ 12 = £530

The above example is only a guide. If you are ahead or behind with your payments as you enter the new financial year, then these additional factors will be built into the calculation.

Universal Credit

  • If you claim Universal Credit (UC), you’ll need to tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about the change to your rent. You should do this by updating the ‘Confirm your Housing Costs’ on your Universal Credit journal on or 1 April 2024.
  • As it’s a 53-week year, your Universal Credit for the year will not cover the full amount of rent and you’ll need to pay the difference. We do not expect you to do this in a separate payment, rather we will spread this across your payments for the forthcoming year. If you’re concerned about paying your rent, please get in touch with our Money Matters team.

Housing Benefit

  • If we receive Housing Benefit towards your rent, you do not need to do anything and you will automatically be notified of your revised entitlement.