We want customers to feel empowered that they have a say in our services and have a voice to shape what we do as their landlord. That’s why, in late November and early December, our Resident Involvement team coordinated three rent workshops with some of our involved customers.
We ran three online sessions in November and December (2025) to talk with residents about the proposed rent increases. The sessions explained how rent increases are worked out, how the money is used, and what support is available for anyone finding things difficult. Abri colleagues joined the conversations to answer questions, which led to lots of open, informed discussion. Two of the sessions were part of meetings for the Resident Scrutiny Group and the London Customer Panel, and the third was a workshop for members of the Abri’s South, South West and South East Customer Panels. In total, 19 residents took part, giving us views from across different regions.
The sessions were delivered by Lizzi Edwards, Group Resident Involvement Manager, Roma McDonnell, Head Finance Business Partner, and Sam Studd, Customer Communications Officer. Roma also explained the effect of any changes is cumulative and presented what that could look like for our homes when it comes to property investment.
How are we communicating rent changes to our customers?
Our aim is to make it easy for customers to find clear, accessible information about the essential services they rely on, in line with transparency standards.
Our customers in the workshops told us:
- Octavia customers told us they’d like the rent booklet to be shorter and more to the point, like the Abri approach. They asked for something more direct and transparent, with extra detail available if needed through the website or on request
- Abri residents felt a straightforward letter with the most important, personalised information - supported by a separate document if needed - works better than a long letter. Last year, we introduced a new rent booklet with clearer and more accessible information about changes to rents and services.
- Some residents also felt that a printed booklet isn’t always necessary and could be replaced with a QR code, if it clearly explains how to get the information another way, such as by requesting a copy over the phone. They suggested that any savings from printing could be reinvested in better accessibility, including spoken word, braille, large print and translated options.
With this feedback, we've added QR codes to the new rent booklets, which will link to support resources for our customers, such as Housing Perks. We’ve made sure the content is transparent, clear and to the point.
We’ve added FAQs about the changes to rents and payments for this year on MyAbri at the link below.