'Rent rise scandal in Brighton'

Rent rises after transfer could be much higher than tenants are being told, claim Defend Council Housing.

The organisation claim there has been secret correspondence between an 'Independent Tenants Adviser' and the government.

The leaked documents, a series of emails from a TPAS adviser in Brighton to the council and government, also call into question the impartiality of so-called independent tenant advisers, Defend Council Housing.

The adviser in question was aware of the loophole in the government's rent setting policy, which he describes as driving "a horse and carriage through the rent policy guidance and guarantee", the organisation claims.

Chair of Defend Council Housing Alan Walter said: "TPAS cannot claim to be giving independent, impartial advice to tenants or to be a 'tenants friend', when the evidence shows that it has been directly involved in helping Brighton council present a formula to tenants with the aim of securing a YES vote."

Lesley Carty, from Defend Council Housing, said "Its about time government ended the farce of tenants' rents being used to pay for yet more glossy reassurance under the false cloak of independent advice. If ITAs are truly independent, surely they would want to make tenants aware of problems and risks regarding the transfer which they discover and which the council fails to reveal? We also have to ask why these advisers aren't making other tenants around the country aware of the same issue?"

TPAS Chief Executive Phil Morgan said: "TPAS acts as the independent tenant advisor in Brighton. Part of our role is to ensure that all financial information, including that relating to rents, is thoroughly vetted. When we undertook that role for Brighton we were concerned about the conflicting advice from DCLG - advice which made a substantial difference to future rent levels for tenants in Brighton if there was a yes vote to stock transfer.

"We then, with the full support of the Tenant Steering Group, approached DCLG directly about this situation. As an independent tenant advisor a crucial part of our role is to challange assumptions. In this case TPAS would have been failing in it's duty if it had not sought further information about future rents.

"TPAS will continue to press for the best deal for tenants and continue to offer the best advice to tenants about any future offer made."