Rent will rise by 1.5 pc for council homes in Pendleton – but some charges for high-rise flats will fall as the local authority takes control of security services.
Residents living in properties managed by Pendleton Together face a weekly increase of £1.33 on average, taking the total cost of rent to £90.14 from April.
Other housing providers in Salford such as Salix Homes and ForHousing are also planning to raise rents by the same percentage, according to the council.
Service charges are set to rise by more than 3 pc with sheltered housing facing the highest increase of 16.7 pc, taking their weekly charge to £28.61.
But as Salford council is set to bring security services in-house in six months' time after terminating its current contract, some charges are expected to fall.
Labour councillor Bill Hinds, who is the lead member for finance and support services at Salford council, endorsed the proposals to raise the rent at the Pendleton Together properties at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (February 9).
He said: "Obviously nobody likes to see any increase whether it's council tax, rent or anything else, but of course, we are in a position not dissimilar to many other authorities and in a lot of places our charges are even better."
Charges at high-rise blocks Thorn and Spruce Court are the most expensive.
These tenants pay £18.17 for security, £10.50 more than others, as 'manned guards' are based in these blocks, while security for the other seven council-owned blocks is controlled remotely from the Salix Homes offices.
However, residents have recently expressed dissatisfaction with the security arrangements, complaining of a reduction in service not reflected by the cost.
Following a review of the security service in Pendleton, the council decided last week it would operate the service from the council's CCTV control room.
Two members of staff will be assigned to all nine blocks in Pendleton during the day with 24-hour monitoring by the council and a direct radio link to police.
Under the new arrangement, which will save the council around £237,000 a year, the weekly security charge will fall to £7.19 for all the blocks in Pendleton.
Council officers concluded that this option offered the best value for money for residents and offered a consistent service for all of the apartment blocks.
Speaking at the cabinet meeting on Tuesday (February 9), Coun Hinds added: "What does sometimes irritate people is the service charges. What we've got to do if there are service charges is to make sure every tenant gets the best services, the most economical service and that they feel totally satisfied with that because there's nothing worse than paying for a service that you're not getting that satisfaction or that quality of service that the tenant deserves."
