News from the Residential Property Investor, the bi-monthly magazine for RLA members other artilces from the December 2000 / January 2001 issue RPI news archive

Action taken on allocation and Ads - December 2000 / January 2001

Allocation of housing to a woman who later married a Cheshire assistant housing contract manager has been ruled unlawful.

Council leader Margaret Duddy had challenged the allocation decision in the High Court, claiming that when Christine Ferguson had been allocated the property there were others who should have been given housing ahead of her.

It was claimed Ferguson and her new husband David Reynolds, who is responsible for repair and renovation of council properties, were now interested in exercising their 'right to buy' option to acquire the house. Having been substantially renovated by the council its current market value was put at £125,000.

For his part, Reynolds said he had been a victim of hearsay and rumour.

* The Office of Fair Trading has stepped in to bar misleading advertisements claiming the Government's 'right to buy' scheme was soon to be ended. Lesley Lindley, trading as Your Right to Buy (South West), has now changed the offending advertisements. 'This is the fourth time my office has had to stop mortgage brokers trying to panic council tenants into taking out loans', said Director General of Fair Trading, John Vickers.
 

other artilces from the December 2000 / January 2001 issue

• Increasing costs
• Call for crisis talks on benefit delays
• Compensation not small beer
• Action taken on allocation and Ads
• CIEH campaigns for HMO licensing move
• Landlord sent for sentencing
• In brief
• Stamp duty waiver
• Repairs countdown