RENT STATEMENTS - ARREARS PENALTIES & FRAUD

Crown Estate customers, unlike other tenants, don't receive any regular rent account statements, to ensure the receipt of rent and credit of their rent accounts.

When I was on the local CERA committee we had a complaint from a previous committee member at an open-to-all meeting with the management, circa 2005. He wanted to know why the management had not issued, as promised, regular rent statements to tenants, after the paying of rent directly to the office was stopped. Payment receipts were no longer issued circa 1998. The promised statements were never provided by the managemnet. Bank statements are not always sufficient.

The son of this former committee tenant had been refused bidding eligibility for a transfer to a larger family tenancy when it came up - because he was in arrears by a couple of quid!!. He was unaware that he been just slightly in arrears for a few years, due to office admin. re. a previous period claiming rent benefit.
He was penalised and was unable to move to the bigger flat that his family had been waiting for years - as a result they had to go on waiting.

The managment say you can always request a statement, but if you don't know if you might have fallen into arrears for some bank error or other etc., There is no obvious problem - A bank statement only shows that money is being paid to Crown Estate but it does'nt show if your personal rent account is being credited or not.

In addition, there is alsways the possiblilty of the recurrence of a corruption and fraud within mangement infrastructure.

If tenants had been receiving the regular rent accounts, that had been requested, and promised again in 2005, the notorious Jan Harris, (Cumberland managing agent), might not have been able to commit fraud so easily. In addition, It would have been easier and quicker to investigate the amounts stolen from tenants.

It took over a year for my neighbour to get her rent account re-imbursed by the management.
Her application for a much need transfer was penalised because technically she was in 2 months "arrears"... The Crown's policy is that if you are in arrears you are not eligible to transfer or bid - however the arrears was caused by the fact that this bent Crown Estate manager had not credited this poor tenant's rent account.

If banks, utilities and other major landlords can give statements why should the Crown Estate be an exception?

I wrote all the above to Frank Dobson (MP camden), who wrote to the C.E. Chief Executive (Roger Bright). Tenants then received a letter saying we would get automatic rent statements at regular 6 month intervals - We got the first one in May 2008. We didn't receive one expected in November.

I enquired about statements recently. It is a good thing I did, because during my transferrence of banks they accidentally paid the landlords twice in one month. My block manager returned a statement by email and told me if I wanted funds returned I should give all my bank details, adding I am always entitled to ask for a statement. (I withheld one months rent instead).... After Jan Harris, I do not trust volunteering my personal banking info. to the Crown Estate staff.
It seems I will have to keep requesting rent statements because despite my local resident's association bringing up the issue last month, they still have not acted.

Many complaints about Jan Harris were not initially taken seriously and tenants suffered more than just loss of money. I no longer trust the Crown Estate's integrity, especially since senior managers initially tried to cover over her dodgy conduct.

I suggest anyone who is hoping to transfer and would like assurance that their rent remains crucially in credit - Keep requesting regular statements regularly!

I would like to forward the concern re. the provision of regular rent statements, on behalf of all London tenants, to the Chair of the Victoria Park Residents Association. I request that the chair and VPRA committee members also bring the need for provision of regular rent statements to the attention of managers.

Please bring the need for regular rent statements to the attention of managers