THOUSANDS of tenants will be stung by a rent hike after housing chiefs made a costly blunder. Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing (KNH) miscalculated this year’s rent rise, meaning thousands of people have been undercharged for the past four months. Housing bosses announced yesterday that tenants would be charged the correct amount for the rest of 2011/12 – leading to immediate rent hikes.

HuddersFax_resident didn’t see the problem: “People complaining about a £1.22 rent rise or an extra £63 a year; I pay more than that for one call out of a plumber or gas service engineer.

“Council tenants get all that for free; this isn’t a rent rise it’s just a correction of an error, but I notice no-one’s complaining that they’ve not paid the full amount for four months.

“Come into the real world council tenant, you get accommodation for peanuts with no intention of buying your own house when your circumstances improve.

“Council houses were supposed to help people in need not become a life long right.”

But warren05 couldn’t disagree more: “It’s disgusting and it will hit those hard who do get a little benefit.

“People will now be in arrears because of their mistake. It will also cost people time and money to make calls to the housing benefit phone number and then there is the time and cost of having to go into the benefits centre as no doubt they will have to make a fresh claim due to the increase.

“Surely once you get your rent notice and how much it is for the year then this is a legal document and no changes can be made.”

pgt67 didn’t seem to have a problem: “So KNH has made a mistake. We all do that and to suggest we council house tenants carry on paying the incorrect amount is utter nonsense.

“I am very grateful to be in a council property having been moved on medical grounds from our own property some years ago. My wife has a job and we pay full rent just short of £80, more than the quoted amount, and full council tax.

“We also look after the property unlike some who just have no disregard for their homes leaving them like pigsties.

halestone was perplexed: “What I would like to know KNH, is why, as one of the ‘30% who pay full rent’ am I finding out about this in the Examiner?”