Plans to raise council house rents by 3% are set to be approved by councillors this week.
If approved, the increase will see a hike of £2.20 per week in the average weekly council house rent, taking it to £75.42.
The increase also applies to service charges and gypsy/traveller site pitches.
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Service charges cover things like the provision of a warden service in sheltered housing, which at present ranges from £5.18 per week to £21.77.
Rents for garages and garage sites, except in Lochaber, are also set to rise by 3%. Lochaber rents will be agreed separately by local councillors.
The rise for garages would be on average 29p per week, and 5p a week for garage sites.
Since 2010/11, Highland Council’s rent increases have consistently been among the lowest in Scotland, rising by well under the rate of inflation.
The rise would generate an additional £501,000 in income, money the council says will be spent on environmental works such as fencing, pathways, bin storage areas and repairs to other hard landscaped communal areas.
In statutory consultations with the public about the proposed increase, around a fifth of those consulted said they would be happy with a 3% rise, with the majority unsurprisingly preferring the option of a 2% or 2.5% rise.
The majority, nearly 90%, said they thought their rent charge represented good value for money, with nearly 95% saying it was affordable for them. Most wanted the additional money raised to be spent on environmental improvements.
Meanwhile councillors at Thursday’s Care, Learning and Housing meeting will also hear that debt from rent arrears due to Universal Credit continues to place pressure on the housing budget.
The budget has been increased by £500,000 to cope with the increased arrears.
At the end of November last year Highland Council had 2,629 known Universal Credit claimants. Of these, more than 2,000 were in arrears with an average value of £716 per household.
Tenants receiving Universal Credit have average rent arrears nearly four times higher than tenants who get housing benefit.
The council said it has reviewed its approaches to rent arrears management and is keen to modernise their contact and communication methods with tenants in arrears.
