The rent increase is divided into two parts: 4.5 percent for everyone in the housing company's approximately 2,200 apartments and 2.5 percent in a special fuel supplement for the tenants who have heating rent (where heating is included).
The majority of apartments have hot rent, only about 300 apartments have cold rent.
- I have great respect for the fact that these are stressful times financially for our tenants, but it is also for us as a company, says Mikael Strand, CEO of Kävlinge Kommunala Bostadsbolag, KKB.
Temporary fuel surcharge
The fuel surcharge applies temporarily during 2023.
- We are one of three housing companies in Skåne that has biofuel, and the costs there have gone up 320 percent.
Then the electricity and all other costs to repair and maintain our homes have also gone up, says Mikael Strand.
Svedalahem, which also uses biogas, is raising rents by 6.5 percent.
Vellingebostäder also uses biogas, but there the rents are not ready yet.
The tenant association: "Regrettable"
According to the Tenants' Association, this is the country's highest rent increase when you include the temporary increase of 2.5 percent for those with warm rents.
- We think it is regrettable that a public utility such as KKB could not take a greater responsibility in view of the difficult financial situation affecting our members and tenants, says Fredrik Malmberg, negotiator for the Norra Skåne Region Renters' Association.
The rent negotiations between KKB and the Tenants Association broke down and it was instead the Rent Market Committee that made the decision.
KKB had requested a rent increase of 9.5 percent.
- We accept the decision of the Rental Market Committee, but we do not get total cost coverage, says Mikael Strand.
The new rents apply retroactively from January 1.
Tenants have three months to pay the retroactive increases.