Stanmer tenant pleads case to Brighton and Hove council landlord

Like a scene from a Dickens novel, tenants have felt forced to go cap in hand to their landlord with a list of their grievances.

The tenants live in one of Brighton’s most attractive and unusual estates, Stanmer village.

Their landlord, the archaic-sounding Brighton and Hove Estates Conservation Trust, was set up in the past decade by the landowner, Brighton and Hove City Council.

One of the tenants, Jason Knight, spoke for his neighbours like a plaintiff in the Victorian setting of the council chamber in Brighton Town Hall yesterday afternoon (Thursday).

Mr Knight said that the tenants’ concerns included

• the very poor conditions of properties at the start of tenancies
• consistently sub-standard repairs
• higher rent increases than set out in tenancy agreements
• insecurity resulting from threats to evict tenants who merely wanted their legal rights respected
• dubious regard to the fact that the buildings are listed

He said: “Despite many direct requests … the trustees have, until the last few days as this deputation approached, consistently refused to engage with tenants on any specific complaints we have made.

“We are also very concerned that the council’s representatives on the trust can support rental increases of 15 to 20 per cent on these council properties given their backing to the recent motion put forward by Green councillor Bill Randall, supported by Labour’s housing spokesman Chaun Wilson, which calls for a cap on private rental increases.

“The trust claims that as a charity, all the income it receives from tenants’ rents, aside from a small amount spent on administration, is spent on maintaining the properties and making rental payments to the council.

“However, the most recent accounts available from the Charity Commission show that actually less than 50 per cent of their income is spent on maintenance and rent, and the amount spent on repairs in 2013 was 50 per cent lower than the previous year despite a year-end surplus of some £30,000.”

Mr Knight questioned whether the trust was fulfilling the role for which it was set up. He added: “Poor property management and threats to evict tenants who do indeed contribute to the community has resulted in extreme anger among village tenants and a real sense of injustice.”

Mr Knight and his wife and young family face eviction because he had the temerity to point out that the trust’s managing agents Smiths Gore were trying to put up his rent more than his tenancy agreement permitted.

One of his ward councillors, Christina Summers, the independent former Green, has been offering the tenants help.

A separate petition asked the council not to submit any bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund relating to Stanmer Park until a satisfactory agreement could be reached on parking problems in the park and village.

Councillor Leo Littman responded to Mr Knight on behalf of the council. He said that the trust rejected the tenants’ allegations. And he added: “We hope all parties will engage in a constructive dialogue.”

Perhaps then the tenants can move on from Hard Times to Great Expectations.