The majority of properties for rent in Firle are owned by the Firle Estate. This comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
~ The Firle Estate have no particular incentive to re-rent, so the norm until recently is that people can (and do) stay in Firle for many years. Until recently this provided a degree of security of tenure.
~ The location is convenient for Lewes, Eastbourne, and Brighton
~ The village itself is scenic and has no through-traffic. It boats a pub (The Ram), a small shop/post office and church
~ There is a strong sense of community within the village. Until recently the Estate trustees were keen to support the village.
Disadvantages:
~ The Estate Director has control of the security and well-being of all the tenants. Until recently, there were checks and balances in place to ensure that power was not abused. This is sadly no longer the case and the Community Association has received a number of complaints about bullying and vindictive behaviour.
~ The Firle Estate has been poorly managed, and has run up a debt in recent years of £10m. The Estate is under pressure to provide an income to the beneficiaries of the Firle Trusts. This has led to aggressive rent increases and friction within the community. It has also resulted in a sell-off of properties, and a number of Section 21 notices have recently been issued.
~ The properties are generally old, and poorly maintained, with frequent complaints of damp
~ There are regular large weddings held at Firle Place, with noise being reported as a problem
~ Firle has now become a ‘Destination Village’ with busy weekends, and its popularity has driven up the rents
You can find out your rights as a tenant here at Shelter
See here for a Private Eye article about a similar Estate to Firle.