Families face eviction after MP buys housing estate and hikes up rents

[joe_bloggs*]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/devastated-families-face-eviction-after-3786578

Tory Richard Benyon’s £110million family firm is part of a consortium that snapped up the housing estate and announced plans for a massive rent hike.Up to 90 households in East London fear the Benyons’ plan to charge “market rents” will treble their bills.He caused uproar when he was asked about eviction and said: “We’ve never evicted anybody because when people haven’t been able to afford to pay the rent they’ve moved out.”

A Mirror investigation with the GMB union earlier this year revealed Benyon’s £110million estate has received hundreds of thousands of pounds of housing benefit – despite the MP attacking the “something for nothing” welfare state.

[upthecreekyetagain]

So let me get this straight - Richard Benyon is just one director of the family firm Englefield Estate which in turn is a minority member of the consortium that has bought the flats - and it's all his fault that the new owners have the temerity to suggest that the tenants should pay a 'market rent - right!

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2014/newbury-mp-seeks-legal-advice-over-national-newspaper-claims

[lambsy_uk]

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@upthecreekyetagain wrote:

So let me get this straight - Richard Benyon is just one director of the family firm Englefield Estate which in turn is a minority member of the consortium that has bought the flats - and it's all his fault that the new owners have the temerity to suggest that the tenants should pay a 'market rent - right!

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2014/newbury-mp-seeks-legal-advice-over-national-newspaper-claims

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Yep! You'd think people would be used to such hype by now!

[mustard-tree]

Housing Benefit for private tenants is Local Housing Allowance, and this is based on local market value.

For that area, the LHA for a 2 bedroom property is nearly £1300 a month, and anyone on a low income would get that amount paid.