The council has agreed a 3.84% rent increase for 2026/27 – equivalent to an average of £3.50 per week – following its largest-ever tenant consultation, in which 75% of respondents supported the lower of two proposed options.

Despite ongoing financial pressures - including inflation, increased repair costs, and the need to meet new safety and climate standards - the council has committed to maintaining rents below the Scottish local authority average.

A £446 million capital investment programme has also been approved for the next decade, including:

• £260.6m to upgrade existing homes
• £144.2m to build 691 new council homes, refurbish three units, and buy back 60 properties
• £35.8m to complete the council’s Sheltered Housing Reprovisioning Programme
• £5.47m to deliver the remaining projects in the Estate‑Based Regeneration Programme

In 2026/27 alone, improvements will include hundreds of new kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems, solar panels, windows and other essential works to maintain and modernise council homes.

This year’s rent consultation ran from early December to mid-January, and achieved the council’s highest-ever response rate, with 1,701 tenants taking part - 13.2% of all tenants. Tenants were asked to choose between a 3.84% or 4.84% rent increase, which would have included an additional £7.5m for expansion of the estate-based regeneration programme.

The vast majority preferred the lower option and the 3.84% rate was approved at a meeting of Full Council this week.

Councillor Alan Hill, cabinet member for Communities, Housing and Islands, said: “We are absolutely committed to delivering safe, warm and affordable homes for our tenants, while keeping rents as low as possible as we continue to deal with the fallout from the cost-of-living crisis.

“We will continue to invest heavily in modernising our existing housing stock, building new homes, and improving neighbourhoods right across North Ayrshire.

“I want to thank every tenant who took part in the consultation – our largest ever response to rent consultation. Your feedback directly shaped our decisions and ensures we continue to focus investment where it matters most.”

The 3.84% increase – scheduled to come into effect from April 2026 - will also apply to and garages / lock-ups, while service charges will increase by  5%.