National Trust rangers face losing homes after charity charges market rates for staff housing The rangers look after stretches of National Trust-owned land and have, until now, been entitled to live in houses on site, paying peppercorn rents. However, the Trust now plans to raise the rents on many of the rangers' homes. Although compensation is being offered to those affected, many are fearful it will not be enough to allow them to stay in the properties, particularly in parts of the country such as the south-east, where rents would likely be highest. Although the Trust was not able to give an exact figure for how many of its roughly 500 rangers will lose their homes, David Kennington, the National Trust's general manager for the Surrey Hills, said that about 350 could be affected across the country. A National Trust spokesman said: "We're reviewing how staff housing is allocated across the organisation to make our approach more consistent, fairer to other employees in similar roles and to ensure we are compliant with rules on tax. Living on-site is not always as desirable as it may seem, particularly with the demands of a modern working environment and the extra responsibility it entails. We expect to be able to announce the outcome of this process in February, with changes coming into effect by 2017. A "financial support package" had been agreed with the union, the spokesman added.