The Charity Commission is assessing concerns raised by tenants of properties in southwest London owned by a charity that administers an 18th-century royal gift.
Richmond Foundation residents told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that their rents will increase by up to 180% in some instances, meaning that they can no longer afford to live there.
They described being given notice that their “charitable housing” property rents would rise late last year as the charity introduced a new policy to bring them up to 70% of market value.
Tenants said that the charity asked them for personal information before making the changes including their income, savings and occupancy and some were then told they no longer met its charitable criteria as their circumstances had changed.
However, the Richmond Foundation said that tenants were only asked for extra personal information when applying for subsidies to reduce their rent.
A commission spokesperson said: “We can confirm that concerns have been raised with us about Richmond Foundation, over concerns about increases to rent charged by the charity.
“In line with our guidance, the charity has also reported a serious incident about this matter. We are assessing the information provided to determine what, if any, regulatory role there might be for the commission.
“We have not made any findings at this time.”
The regulator has not opened a formal compliance case or statutory inquiry.
Charity confident in rent decisions
Richmond Foundation administers a royal gift made in 1786 to help the local community and renamed itself from the Richmond Parish Lands Charity in 2024.
In its accounts for the year to June 2025, the charity recorded £679,000 in income from its 56 charitable properties out of a total revenue of £2.33m.
The foundation reported that the rental subsidy on its charitable housing was £1.1m in 2024-25, an average of £20,000 per household, more than double the amount nine years earlier.
“As part of a comprehensive review of the charity’s property portfolio during the next financial year we plan to develop a policy to determine reasonable and sustainable rents for our charitable residential tenancies,” the 2024-25 accounts read.
“In determining these rents, the charity will need to balance its duty to responsibly manage charity assets with fulfilling its charitable aims of benefiting Richmond residents who are disadvantaged by age, ill-health, disability or financial hardship.”
A spokesperson for Richmond Foundation this week said the charity proactively reported the matter to the commission itself in March “in light of the public scrutiny and media attention it was attracting”.
“We believed it was appropriate to ensure the commission was aware of the situation and had the opportunity to review the steps trustees have taken,” they said.
“Trustees have taken professional advice throughout the rent review process and remain confident that their decisions are consistent with the charity's governing documents, legal obligations and charitable purpose.
“We are continuing to cooperate fully with the Charity Commission and welcome the opportunity to provide further information about the rent review and the decisions made by trustees.
“We recognise that some tenants disagree with the changes that have been made and we continue to listen and respond to concerns where they are raised. Support remains available for residents experiencing financial difficulty.
“We remain committed to ensuring that rents are fair and reflect tenants’ individual circumstances, while ensuring the charity’s resources are managed responsibly. This ensures that we can continue supporting Richmond residents most in need, now and in the future.”
Editor's note: This article was amended following a clarification from the Richmond Foundation concerning information requested of the tenants.
