Understanding the Housing Revenue Account
The HRA is a ring fenced budget that the council holds especially for the rent from council tenants. The rent money collected by the council can only be spent on the management and maintenance of tenants' homes.
We are looking at some severe constraints this year, as the cost of living starts to bite and the duty of the council is to ensure that the HRA is properly managed. The proposals for the HRA expenditure are contained within the Council's annual budget consultation for the whole Council.
It is however quite complicated to understand housing finance and the HRA is managed, so we have created a video to explain how the HRA is run and funded. You can also download the transcript of the video. If you need to translate the transcript to another language, copy and paste the text from the transcript, paste into Google Translate and select the language you require.
Watch 'What is the Housing Revenue Account (HRA)?' on YouTube (1 minute, 56 seconds)
We want as many tenants involved in the HRA process; to gain perspective about costs, management and challenges for councils.
If you are interested in getting involved you can fill in our online form:
Join Tenant Involvement online form
or if have any questions about the HRA you can email tinvolvement@oxford.gov.uk
Why do you need to get involved?
The Regulator of Social Housing is strengthening the consumer regulation regime.
As part of the Social Housing White Paper, it is vital that every social housing tenant should be able to expect:
- To be safe in your home
- To know how your landlord is performing, including on repairs, complaints and safety, and how it spends its money
- To have your complaints dealt with promptly and fairly, with access to a strong Ombudsman who will give you swift and fair redress
- To be treated with respect, backed by a strong consumer regulator and improved consumer standards for tenants
- To have your voice heard by your landlord
- To have a good quality home and neighbourhood to live in
- To be supported to take your first step to ownership
Frequently Asked Questions
What can the housing revenue account be spent on?
The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) is the name of the Council account where all the income and expenditure related to the Council's housing is accounted for. At its core, the HRA pays for the management and maintenance of council-owned housing. The HRA can also fund the provision of new council housing.
What is the difference between HRA and general fund?
The HRA is a ringfenced account, which deals with all transactions relating to the Council's function as a housing landlord whilst the General Fund is comprised of all other services. Capital budgets include income and expenditure, which acquire, enhance or improve long-term assets.
What is HRA budget setting?
The HRA Budget Setting Report considers both HRA revenue and all housing capital spending. The level of resource available to invest in housing is dependent upon the income streams in the Housing Revenue Account, the most significant of these being the rental income for the housing stock.
