The making and amending of rent schemes is the responsibility of local authorities as an integral part of their housing management functions, subject to broad principles laid down by my Department in Circular letter HRT 3/2002 of 6 March 2002. Therefore, decisions on whether or not to disregard particular sources of income for the purposes of calculating rents is a matter for each individual local authority to consider in accordance with their own rents scheme.
Notwithstanding this, in the context of new provisions introduced by the enactment of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, I intend to make regulations in 2010 which will more clearly set out the matters that may be included in a local rents scheme.