Fairer Terms for Housing Provider

Following discussions with the OFT, Anchor Trust, the largest not-for-profit provider of housing, support and care for the elderly in England, has agreed to change terms and conditions in its long lease agreements that the OFT considered unfair. The unfair terms in its lease agreements included those that:

• allowed Anchor a wide right to alter its 24-hour emergency response service

• potentially imposed unreasonable costs on the tenant in the event that Anchor carried out works or repairs to the property

• appeared to give Anchor the right to end the lease if the tenant did not fulfil his obligations, without reference to the need to obtain a court order first, and

• excluded Anchor's liability for anything it had done (or not done) after parting with its interest in the property.

Ray Hall, OFT's Director of Services said:'We are pleased with the outcome of our discussions with Anchor Trust. The terms of its long lease agreements are now fairer and clearer for consumers.'