Cotehele: Sixty houses on estate are affected

Some tenants on the Cotehele estate near Saltash claim they may be forced to leave their homes because charges are rising by up to a third.

There are 60 houses and cottages occupied by tenants on the estate.

The trust says it needs to increase rents on its properties around the country so they are more in line with lettings on the open market.

'Gradual turnover'

Tim Marrow, who rents a cottage in Bohetherick in the Tamar Valley, was paying �300 a month, but that has now risen to �380.

He said: "Some people have lived here most of their lives. They may not be able to afford their new rents."

But Lewis Eynon, the trust's property manager at Cotehele, says tenants regularly move away and many rents are well below levels charged on the open market.

He said: "There's been a gradual turnover which has been happening for years."

Tenants held a public meeting on Friday at St Dominick village hall to discuss further action.