Mother-Of-Two Lives In Britain's Most Expensive Council House (Valued At £2.5M) For Two Years... Rent Free

[interestrateripoff]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1327762/Mother-lives-2-years-RENT-FREE-Britains-expensive-2-5m-council-house.html

A mother-of-two who was moved to a £2.5million council property 'so she wouldn't be disturbed by local building works' has been living rent-free for more than two years.

Ruth Ben-Adir, 46, moved into the Grade II-listed Victorian lodge - thought to be Britain's most expensive council house - with her two sons, Kingsley, 24, and Fab, in 2008.

The property - on the edge of a 29-acre estate in Highgate Village, north London - is neighboured by homes owned by celebrities such as George Michael and Sting.

It's thought the house could fetch £100,000 rent per year if rented out on the private market.

The Ben-Adirs were moved there by Camden Council from nearby Kentish Town after officials decided the refurbishment of a leisure centre next to their home would disturb them.

But work on the centre finished in July - and the family is still living rent-free in the three-bedroom property in Waterlow Park.

The family isn't paying rent on the house - nor on their original home, where Mrs Ben-Adir is the registered tenant.

Tory opposition leader Andrew Mennear told the Evening Standard: 'This was a bizarre form of temporary accommodation and it has to come to an end. Did they just forget about them?'

Any ideas as to why they possible wouldn't be paying rent? There must be more to this story than is being reported.

Although as it's a story about renting they clearly like to get in what's the property is worth and the fact it's gone up 20% in years.

[Sof]

It looks a heap.

[Paul77]

...that's why we need 20% VAT.

[Darkman]

I don't mind the Daily Wail, but even I have to say these stories are getting a tad boring.

[thecrashingisles]

I thought this would be a story about Ruth Kelly.

[tim123]

Whilst I agree that this is an example of poor practice by the council, I can't see why they have named the woman. None of this cost was down to her.

tim

[lulu]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1327762/Mother-lives-2-years-RENT-FREE-Britains-expensive-2-5m-council-house.html

Any ideas as to why they possible wouldn't be paying rent? There must be more to this story than is being reported.

Although as it's a story about renting they clearly like to get in what's the property is worth and the fact it's gone up 20% in years.

The thing I don't get is that I was not rehoused when the speculator next door put scaffolding up outside my window and spent months refurbishing the formally empty flats next door. I was woken up by the banging and had hairy arsed blokes scratching their **** outside my window (not to mention the lack of light for nearly 6 months) why should council tennents be given special treatment.

[Charlie Don't Surf]

Property experts said the lodge, valued at £2million in 2008, would be worth around 20 per cent more now.

Eh?

[Harry Monk]

The thing I don't get is that I was not rehoused when the speculator next door put scaffolding up outside my window and spent months refurbishing the formally empty flats next door. I was woken up by the banging and had hairy arsed blokes scratching their **** outside my window

Ah, but here you are laying yourself wide-open to criticism that you lay around in bed for several hours longer than scaffolders

[Pezerinno]

Wow what a lovely house for only 2,500,000 pounds

[Number79]

I don't mind the Daily Wail, but even I have to say these stories are getting a tad boring.

Agreed but one has to note that it is only becoming boring because of the frequency with which the wail keeps finding these cases.