A charity making Remembrance Day poppy wreaths has been probed for serving Section 21 eviction notices.
And the government claims the charity’s actions may not have been necessary.
The Poppy Factory – a nonprofit organisation for veterans, which works with the Royal British Legion – has allegedly served tenants in a west London block of flats with eviction notices.
The BBC and The Observer claim the charity told tenants last month that it was raising rents by up to 35%, or £800, a month.
The flats are let on the open market.
The media outlets say residents include some on benefits “and several with severe health and mobility issues.”
They also say one tenant is as recovering from cancer treatment while others allegedly requested repairs in relation to black mould.
A Poppy Factory spokesperson told The Observer: “The affected homes are let on the open market and rents have often been well below local levels.
“We have a legal duty as a charity to collect reasonable market rent, to protect our work helping the most vulnerable veterans and their families.
“We extended our consultation with tenants and no one is being asked to pay more than others already pay for similar properties, or above market rent for the property condition.”
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government tells The Observer: “There’s absolutely no requirement to increase rent to full market levels ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force, and charities using legislation as an excuse to push renters on to the street deserve the public’s contempt.
“This behaviour proves why a Renters Rights Act is so necessary.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today