TENANTS in the 7,000 properties managed by Redbridge Homes could face a rent increase this year of nearly twice the rate of inflation.

The cabinet of Redbridge Council has given the go-ahead for an increase of 6.39 percent – pushing the average rent up by £284 a year.

Service charges could rise from £4 to £4.50 a week, while the cost of renting a garage could soar around 20 percent from £8.37 to £10.

Father-of-two Peter Saich, 42, lives in Orsett Terrace on Woodford Green's Orchard Estate, and pays £108 weekly rent and service charge for his three-bedroom maisonette.

He said: “If they did the repairs then I wouldn’t mind paying it.”

“I’ve been waiting since December for a surveyor to come round about my kitchen. My kitchen’s a real mess, all the cupboards are falling to pieces.

“But I haven’t heard a thing about it. Some things get done and some things don't, it's a bit hit and miss.”

The news has come at a bad time for the organisation, which suspended its chief executive Sharon Standell last month pending an investigation into what the council has described simply as governance issues.

And her suspension coincided with the resignation of chairman Thomas Lewis.

Last March, the organisation received an improved two-star rating from the Audit Commission, and is waiting to find out how much extra funding it will get as a result from the Government’s decent homes programme.

Esther Cuthbert, 36, pays around £100 a week for her three-bedroom maisonette in Navestock Crescent on the Orchard Estate, which she shares with her three children.

She said: “We pay all this money but we don’t get a proper service. They talk about decent homes but they should give people a decent home for all the money they charge.”

Tenants, Redbridge Homes and a number of council committees must be consulted before any increases are made.

Councillor Robin Turbefield, portfolio holder for housing, said council tenants would be sent a letter by the end of the week to consult them on the possible changes.

He added: “The Government set down various guidelines that they want council tenants to be at parity with what registered social landlords charge.

“Various reports we see for Redbridge Homes show us that is among the top quartile in London and in the country for tenant satisfaction.

“We do surveys of tenants at least once a year and a majority that are coming back are satisfied because they are getting a good service from Redbridge Homes.”