Residents in a former slate community in north Wales are facing a rent increase of up to 60% after their village was sold for around £1m to a real estate company. The former 16 quarrymen's houses and cottages in Aberllefenni in Gwynedd first went up for sale in 2016 and a deal was secured with a London real estate investment company last year.
The row of nine houses and the additional cottages were built in the 1700s as accommodation for quarrymen and their families. Under the previous owner, the family of John Lloyd from Inigo Jones Slate Works, the rent rose by 3% per annum. The same tenants have lived in some houses for more than 20 years.
But now it is claimed that some tenants have received eviction notices following the sale in October, the BBC reports. A number of tenants are now worried that they won't be able to afford the hike, with one tenant facing an increase of more than 60%. The new owner, Walsh Investment Properties, said that is is "fair and reasonable to charge a market rent" and that most properties had been paying a low rent for years.
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Aberllefenni community councillor, John Pughe Roberts, told BBC that he was "very disappointed" that the hike up had happened so soon after the sale. He said: "I believe that the intention is to raise the rent so high that the tenants have to move out... Some people who live in the houses are very vulnerable and are going to find it difficult to find the money to pay the difference.
"At the moment, we are trying to work with Gwynedd Council to try and help the tenants, starting with the most vulnerable, to prevent people from becoming homeless. Everyone in the village is concerned, some more than others because of the varying amount the rent goes up". He added: "There are examples where some have to pay £10 a month more than each other for exactly the same house."
Cllr Roberts has called on the new owner to be "more open" about the rent increase process. It is understood that no construction work or updating has been carried out on the properties since the transfer ownership. Walsh Investment Properties spokesman Chris Walsh told the BBC: "We can confirm that we haven't raised any rents to date, however we do intend to raise all of the rents to bring them in line with current market values.
"Most of the properties have been paying a low rent for a number of years, unfortunately this is not sustainable in the current economy. We feel it is fair and reasonable to charge a market rent.
The firm which took over managing the homes on February 1, added that properties were surveyed last month to plan an needed upgrade works. He added: "We believe this will allow us to gain a better understanding of each individual tenants situation. This direct approach should alleviate any miss communication and miss understanding. This will also allow us to build a strong and sustainable rapport with all of our tenants. "
According to the BBC, Walsh Investment Properties did not respond to questions about the eviction notices sent to some tenants.
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