registered charity question, is it hooky?

[allegro]

Hi all. For years I have rented a space in a communal arts building. Traditionally the Tennant's rents have paid for the upkeep of the building and the employment of a manager and pr person. we now have a structure of a group of trustees/board of directors together with a manager and a few other staff. The management and staff recently registered the "collective" as a charity and I have since found out myself and other rent paying tenants have been listed as volunteers for the charity. I've never been asked to "volunteer" and I find it odd that I'm listed as such when I'm paying rent. Google suggest volunteers have little in the way of rights and I question the legality of it all.

we have a complicated history which would take too long to explain but on a basic note does it sound right that I'm listed as a volunteer for a charity that charges me rent for a space when I am an independent business/ sole trader?

Thanks all

[vaud]

Is this charity for the management of the building rather than your rights as a tenant for the space you lease? The way you described it seems to be two separate things?

[mikebradford]

My guess is the charity doesn't want to pay business rates, as such its classified all activities under a charity .

I'm guessing even as a charity if they take rent from a non charity for a proportion of the space they would then become liable themselves.

[allegro]

Thanks guys, I don't know the tiny detail yet but the charity has a "trading arm" as they describe it which supposedly covers us and the fact that we make a profit. From what I can gather the charity has been set up to promote the arts (including us but not specifically us).
Iooking at the accounts online it would seem our rents contribute approx 1/3 of the total income for the year and most certainly contribute to the wages of at least 2 senior staff members, one of which is the Charity's secretary. It all feels a bit wrong and we are pretty much being kept in the dark about it all.