Author Topic: Allotment rental in Reading  (Read 1769 times)

red_skydiver

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Allotment rental in Reading
« on: December 07, 2007, 23:16:50 »
I've just had an invoice from Reading Borough Council for my allotment rental for 2008.  Although I have a contract with them which states the rental amount they have decided to increase this unilaterally.  It isn't much of an increase (less than £2) but it's the principle that bothers me.  They actually charged me a "set up/admin fee" (£23) when I took the allotment on earlier this year on top of the rental to cover the cost of the raising the contract and now they are ignoring its existence.... perhaps I should ask for the £23 back!!!    Has anyone else experienced this problem? 

electric landlady

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Re: Allotment rental in Reading
« Reply #1 on: December 10, 2007, 13:34:49 »
Hello
If you have already signed a contract for the period you are being invoiced for, this is binding on the council for the period of the contract, and the rent cannot be unilaterally increased unless there's a clause in the contract saying it can (I'd be surprised if there was in an allotment contract but it's worth checking).

If the invoice is for the next year, the council can increase the rent. The new rent should be stated in your new contract and cannot then be increased until the next time...etc...

£23 sounds extortionate for an admin fee just for giving you a contract and I've never heard of a council charging for this, but there's no legal reason why they can't and no limit on what could be charged as far as I know. You could try complaining and asking them to justify the charge in the light of the very minimal amount of work involved in filling in your details on a standard form.

Good luck!

red_skydiver

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Re: Allotment rental in Reading
« Reply #2 on: January 01, 2008, 12:46:16 »
The contract is an ongoing contract and not just for the current year.  There is nothing in the contract saying they can increase the rent.  They drafted the contract extremely badly and I have the feeling mine wasn't the first.  I wouldn't have minded if they had apologised when I contacted them and admitted they had made a mistake in drafting the contract, I'd have quite happily signed a revised one (another revised one.... that's another story!) but their attitude was appalling.  Anyway I stuck to my guns and they informed me they will never increase the rent on my plot and will refund the "admin" fee of £23........ I'm still waiting for the cheque .... but then it is the council!

 

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