Angry residents in Horton Bank Top have pledged to fight rent rises of up to 30 per cent.

Now the Triangle Residents' Association, which rents homes from Bradford Property Trust, has organised a public meeting tomorrow, inviting representatives of the Rent Office.

The meeting is for any interested local tenants living in homes let by Bradford Property Trust.

The company owns around 350 homes in the Triangle area, bounded by Mandale Road, Great Horton Road and Cooper Lane.

Marilyn Paley, of the Triag Residents Association, said: "We are concerned that Bradford Property Trust are putting the rents up too much.

"I have heard that some people are moving out because they can't afford the rents any more.

"There are quite a lot of empty houses and we are concerned they will be standing empty for a long time. Some of the rent increases have been as much as £27 per week.

"We don't know yet what options are open to us. That's what this meeting is about - so we can learn about our rights."

Representatives from the Leeds-based Rent Office, which covers this area, are attending the public meeting.

Rent officers are independent officials who can register so-called fair rents for accommodation let before January 1989 in a free service to landlords and tenants.

Nigel Denby, finance director of Bradford Property Trust, confirmed the company was seeking rent rises of up to 30 per cent in some cases.

But he stressed that the final decision would be made by the local rent officer.

"Recently we have not been getting what we have applied for," he said. He added that the rent rises concerned 'regulated rents' which tended to be 75pc of the market rate.

l The meeting starts at 7.30 pm at Cooperville Methodist Church, Bellerby Brow.

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