Date: 10/07/2006
High Peak tenants are being warned to beware of door-knockers trying to get them to sign up to buy their Council homes.
Dozens of High Peak tenants have contacted High Peak Community Housing to complain about pushy, high-pressure salesmen. Many tenants say they agree to sign-up just to get rid of them, and a pregnant tenant was accused of 'wasting their time' because she would not sign.
High Peak Community Housing has already reported them to the Police, Trading Standards and the Financial Services Association, but fears that tenants may fall foul of these practices before official action can be taken.
The salesmen leave leaflets containing misleading information, saying the Council is intending to sell the homes, threatening huge rent increases, giving false expectations of discounts available, and stating a non-existent deadline for right-to-buy applications.
As well as being panicked into applying for right to buy, tenants who have signed up previously have been hit by huge fees for carrying out work which can be done for a fraction of the cost by a qualified solicitor.
"Our tenants tell us that if they say they will ring us to check, the salesmen make excuses and leave." said Helen Green, Senior Neighbourhood Co-ordinator. "We advise anyone who is feeling intimidated or has difficulty getting the salesmen to leave their home, to immediately call the police and also contact their Neighbourhood Co-ordinator on 0845 129 8075 to report the incident."
High Peak Borough Council, which owns the properties, confirms that it has no plans to sell the homes to anyone, or to make huge rent increases. They also confirm that they can provide advice to anyone wishing to apply to buy their home:
"Tenants are entitled to apply for the Right-to-Buy their council home." said Peter Sloman, Chief Executive of High Peak Borough Council. "Anyone who wants the facts can get impartial information from our legal team, or from the Citizens Advice Bureau. Many tenants who have applied for right-to-buy without fully understanding the implications have lost their home when they couldn't keep up the payments. I urge anyone thinking of right-to-buy to carefully consider all the implications before they take on the responsibility of home ownership."