Why is my new rent based on 53 weeks?

We have had some customers call to ask why their rent this year is based on 53 weeks, and what this means if you are in receipt of a benefit. Here’s a helpful overview:

There are 53 Mondays in the 2024/25 financial year, which runs from Monday 1 April 2024 until Sunday 6 April 2025, with the last Monday being on 31 March 2025.

This happens every five or six years, because there are 365 days in a year or 366 in a leap year. This breaks down to 52 weeks in a year plus 1 day, or in a leap year 52 weeks plus 2 days. These extra days then accumulate to add an extra week to the year.

This means:

• If you pay your rent monthly, we will use the following calculation: new weekly rent charge multiplied by 53 then divided by 12
• Universal Credit (UC) will not cover the 53rd Monday. So, all UC customers who receive the housing element will need to cover this charge
• Housing Benefit covers all chargeable weeks so are not affected
• You can pay this over the course of the year, and in most cases is a few £ a week, for example, weekly rent of £200 divided by 53 = £3.77 per week or if you want to pay monthly = £200 divided by 12 = £16.67.

Those who have older tenancies which include rent free weeks are not affected.