End Fuel Poverty – Shian Housing Association listen to your tenants!

This Monday, 27th January 2014, we had a small demonstration outside Shian Housing Association in Hackney.

We are demanding that they replace totally inefficient electric boilers with something that works well for a three bedroom property or a larger property.

One member of the Haringey Housing Action Group told the group that for the last three years she has been having to heat her home with the NIBE Fighter 360p electric boiler, installed by her landlords Shian. The boiler does not heat her home sufficiently, nor provide enough hot water, and yet her bills are running at about £5 or £10 a day. Her house is in a new building, and one would expect it to be efficient and cheaper to heat.

We looked at the boiler up on the internet and found out that many other complaints have been made about this boiler, and some housing associations have replaced them and compensated their tenants. We also talked to other families living in the block, and found they too had similar experiences. Meanwhile Shian are blaming the tenants’ use of the boiler!!

A number of the tenants have written to Shian to demand they take action. Meanwhile they are suffering yet another winter in a poorly heated home.

At the demonstration Shian refused to talk to us to explain how they would proceed with our member’s situation.  However, a member of their staff acknowledged that the problem of high heating bills was a problem made worse by the boiler. She said that previous communication shouldn’t have pointed the finger at tenants and their individual energy use.

This is only the start of our actions. We will keep up the pressure. Watch this space for news of our progress.

 

 

January 29, 2014  Tags: , ,   Posted in: HHAG ACTIONS  Comments Closed

Private tenants from Haringey join others in occupation of luxury flat development

haloactionRenters occupy luxury flat development in Stratford Halo, E15 2FZ

16 November 2013 View leaflet 2013

15 private tenants from 7 local tenant action groups across London today are holding a ‘housewarming party’ at a development of newly built private rented flats in Stratford, east London, in protest at soaring private rents and the government’s failure to tackle the problem. London rents have been rising at around 7 per cent per year. [1] 10 other activists organised a solidarity banner protest outside the Genesis tower block.

The flats are built and let by Genesis [2], which has been shortlisted to receive funding through a government subsidy scheme [3] for private rented housing in three developments in London [4].                                       

Rents in the occupied development, marketed as ‘Stratford Halo’, start from £1,700pcm for a two bedroom flat, the minimum size needed for a family with children – of which there are now more than 1.3 million renting from private landlords in England [5]. Based on figures published by Shelter, these rents would only be affordable to families with an income of £76,000 or more [6].
IMG_1090
Stratfordprotest

Emma Bradshaw, one of the activists, said:
“Private renting is expensive and gives people no security – the last thing we need is more of it. Rather than supporting developers to build expensive private rented housing that is only affordable to the very wealthiest, the government should bring in measures to keep rents under control and invest in good quality genuinely affordable social housing that gives ordinary people the security they need.”

In total, £1bn is being made available to developers to build new private rented properties as subsidised finance at an estimated minimum cost to the public purse of £90m. [7] The government claims that the first £700m of the funding “has the potential to deliver between 8,000 and 10,000 new homes”. [8]

If the £1bn was used to build social housing on publicly owned land, around 10,000 new homes could be built [9], with money recovered through the rents. This would also help to reduce the housing benefit bill, 40 per cent of which now goes to private landlords as one in four private tenants currently needs housing benefit to afford their rent. [10]

For further information, images, footage and interviews, please contact 0790 7058241  or letdown.action@gmail.com

letdown.org.uk/

This protest was organised and supported by the following private tenants groups:
Advice 4 Renters (Brent)  –  Camden Federation of Private Tenants  –   Digs Hackney Renters)   –  Haringey Private Tenants Action Group   –   Lambeth Renters  –   Southwark Private Tenants   –   Tower Hamlets Renters

All groups are also members of London Renters, the coalition of Private Tenants Groups
The London Renters network aims to share resources for taking action on private tenants issues; support people to set up new private tenants groups in their borough and campaign together against developers, landlords, letting agents, government or anyone profiting from or exploiting our basic need for housing. Contactlondonrenters@riseup.net for more information and to sign up for regular announcements.

IMG_1105Notes to editors

1. Figures published by LSL Property Services found that London rents rose 7.9 per cent in the year to March 2013 – eight times faster than wages.

2. According to its 2012-13 financial statements, “Genesis aims to be a leading property based service provider”, providing housing for sale and rent (at both social and market rents). The company had a turnover of £293m and made £36.7m from sales of property in the year to March 2013. It also received £34.3m in grants. In ten years time (2022-23) the company is projecting an operating surplus of £73m.

3. The Built to Rent fund provides subsidised finance (through loans or equity) to private developers for privately rented homes which will be let at market rents. £1bn is being made available through the scheme, with 43 companies with a total of 45 bids currently being assessed for the first £700m of finance – an average of £15.6m per project.

4. A Freedom of Information request to the Greater London Authority, which is assessing the bids for Build to Rent funding in London, reveals that the following three Genesis developments have been shortlisted to received funding through the Build to Rent fund:

  • New Hendon Village, Colindale (zone 4), London Borough of Barnet
  • Madeley Road, North Ealing (zone 3), London Borough of Ealing
  • Springboard House, Upton Park (zone 3), London Borough of Newham

A total of 15 London developments from 12 developers have been shortlisted to receive funding through the scheme.

5. The English Housing Survey 2011-12 finds there 1,306,000 households with dependent children renting privately.

6. Shelter’s Private Rent Watch studies are based on rents being affordable if they take up no more than 35 per cent of net income. At a rent of £1,700 per month, the cheapest two bedroom flats in the Stratford Halo development would only be affordable to households with a monthly net income of £4,857, or £58,286 per year. This equates to a gross income of around £76,000 per year (assuming two earners with equal salaries, claiming child benefit for one child and having no other income).

7. Calculation based on funding provided through loans to developers with A-AAA credit ratings and normal collateralisation for a ten year period, with annual interest payments and the principle repaid at the end of the period. At current interest rates, developers will pay 1.74 per cent interest (source), yet the government pays 2.66 per cent (source). The minimum cost to the government of the loans (excluding operating costs for the scheme) is £92m (lending money at 0.92 per cent below their cost of borrowing £1bn over the ten year period). The effective subsidy to the developers is estimated at around double this figure, as the developers are able to benefit from access to loans at a considerably lower rate via the government than they would be to access themselves directly on the market.

8. Source: DCLG

9. Based on building costs (excluding land) of £100,000 per home (source: New Economics Foundation)

10. Source: English Housing Survey

November 16, 2013  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: NEWS  Comments Closed

‘Our Tottenham’ Network interview on BBC London about regeneration

The Our Tottenham network were invited to be interviewed live on BBC radio London this morning, Tuesday 7.45am.

Haringey Housing Action Group are supporters of the ‘Our Tottenham’ network and together campaign for genuinely affordable housing in all new developments and regeneration plans in Tottenham.

Listen to the interview here

BBC Radio London OT Interview 24.9.2013

Visit the ‘Our Tottenham’ website here

The interview request was in response to Tottenham Hotspurs announcing that they plan to build a University Technical College ‘on top of’ the new Sainsbury’s by the Spurs ground. The BBC wanted someone from the OT network to talk about the wider regeneration issues and concerns.

Whilst not against the expansion of the Spurs ground itself, we’re concerned about 3 things
– the trend towards massive development projects within residential areas, rather than improvements to existing human scale streets and facilities
– the shocking threat to demolish hundreds of perfectly good homes and shops to the west of the ground
– that what local communities throughout Tottenham really need is genuinely affordable housing rather than gentrification

We put these points during negotiations with the Spurs Chief Executive and called on the club to put £100m into the local community for the improvements which local people actually need.

 

September 24, 2013  Tags: ,   Posted in: LOCAL CAMPAIGNS, NEWS  Comments Closed

Haringey Private Tenants Meeting Tuesday 24th September

Haringey Private Tenants Action Group Meeting
Tuesday 24th September, 6.30pm
Cafe Life, North London Community Centre, 22 Moorfield Road behind Bruce Grove Station, N17 6PY

See leaflet here, please forward….. all welcome.

Having problems with your landlord? Can’t afford your rent? Sick of moving every six months? Fed up with the current housing situation? There is a different way..

Come and join other private tenants to get organised, share experiences, take collective action to solve problems, and campaign for better housing for us all…. we are all entitled to decent, secure and genuinely affordable housing in our local area. Landlords are increasing rents to unaffordable levels, discriminating against people on housing benefit – and private tenants are left vulnerable to exploitation. Housing is a fundamental right. There are over 25,000 private tenants in Haringey – let’s get together and take action to support tenants and challenge landlords, letting agents, developers and anyone else who is trying to exploit us. Unless we take action together, our voices will remain unheard and our situation will remain precarious.

Shelter recently estimated that up to two thirds of landlords are mortgage free, so they actually only require enough funds from tenants to cover costs for maintenance, and many mortgage providers state that there is no restriction for how long a tenant can stay – But, mortgage or no mortgage, there is no reason why landlords should be charging unaffordable rents and providing insecure tenancies causing stress and financial problems for so many tenants….so rents need to be forced down – Rent caps are one solution.

Also, the Advertising Standards Authority has just brought in a requirement that all landlord and letting agents must, by the 1st November, state clearly all extra fees charged to tenants, rather than trapping people who are desperate for housing.

Support one another Join together with other private tenants to support one another, share experiences, solve problems and take action collectively.

Challenge landlords  We need to take back control of our lives and demand the right to affordable and secure housing. Housing is a necessity, and no one should be discriminated against for being low waged or be on housing benefit. If you can’t afford your rent the landlord is charging too much –  We can campaign to put that message out. We could make sure we name and shame all landlords and letting agents who discriminate and charge unaffordable rents. We can help to empower tenants to try to negotiate with their landlord over rents. Landlords can be persuaded to keep a reliable, known tenant on a lower rent, rather than have to go through a costly and inconvenient process of finding a new tenant.

Haringey Private Tenants Action Group is meeting monthly to support one another with renting problems, discuss taking action to improve housing for us all and improve the rights of private tenants in Haringey. Email for more info: haringeyprivatetenants@gmail.com, or come to our next meeting.

September 20, 2013  Tags: ,   Posted in: LOCAL CAMPAIGNS, NEWS  Comments Closed

Haringey Private Tenants Meeting – Thursday 15th August, 7pm

Haringey Private Tenants Meeting Thursday 15th August
7pm, In the Cafe, North London Community House
Moorefield Road, nr Bruce Grove Station. (venue to be confirmed)
Please join us to discuss taking action around housing issues for private tenants in Haringey – All welcome!

If you are concerned about the situation for tenants renting in Haringey, have renting problems yourself and would like to take action to try and solve these problems please join us for this open meeting next Thursday. The meeting follows on from the successful Affordable Housing For All Event at Wood Green Library which we organised back in March and the Letting Agents Day of Action we organised in Haringey alongside other London private tenants groups in April.

Due to the rise in new private tenants groups across London, and the existence of the London Coalition of Private Tenants Groups – London Renters (which some of our members attend), private tenants issues are becoming higher on the national agenda. Now’s the time to really join in with these voices and discuss what we can do locally and alongside groups in neighbouring boroughs. Perhaps now is also the time to meet more regularly again so we can take actions forward.

In April, Haringey Private Tenants organised the successful Community Housing Inspectors protest against Letting Agents who continue to discriminate against any private tenant on low income or Housing benefit, demand extortionate ‘fees’ for ‘administration’, inventories and renewal of contracts – In Scotland these fees are illegal –  and also to demand that rents are brought down to affordable levels. You can learn more about this protest here: http://haringeyhousingaction.org.uk/community-housing-inspectors-expose-anti-social-practices-by-haringey-letting-agents-and-serve-cease-desist-orders/ or watch the video.

A few things we might want to discuss
– Rights for renters in Haringey.  How can we ensure private tenants know the rights that do exist, demand them, plus how to improve these rights and generally empower private tenants.
– Rents are too high. How can we campaign to bring rents down?
– Tenancy lengths. Should we be campaigning for longer tenancies?
– What do people think about the registration of landlords? Is it a good thing?
– Proposals from the DCLG make recommendations for accelerated eviction processes for non-payment of rent or other contractual failures by tenants which would further erode the rights of tenants and provide landlords with even more power to get rid of tenants they decide they don’t want anymore – and much quicker – it’s important we take action to show the voice of private tenants and what our needs and demands are, to be able to find secure, affordable, well maintained homes just like anyone else.
– Private tenants on low incomes who require housing benefit in order to afford their rent are being discriminated against by landlords and letting agents across Haringey and are increasingly unable to find affordable, appropriate and secure housing. What action can we take to support people in this situation? Should we be naming and shaming landlords and letting agents in Haringey?
– Or other issues you think are more important?

If you would like to be kept informed of Haringey Private Tenants meetings and activities, please email michelle@riseup.net

PRIVATE RENTING?
Secure Tenancies for all   Until 1988 most tenancies were secure / long term and rents were capped by law at affordable levels. We can all be demanding this now.
Bring rents down   A tenant who cannot afford the rent can try to negotiate a reduction.   Contact the Council’s Housing Advice Team – they have negotiated lower rents with many landlords.
No to discrimination   Outrageous signs like ‘No DSS’ (people on benefits) must be challenged. Such discrimination must be banned, just like racism and sexism. And Letting Agents fees should be scrapped.
Resist evictions   If a landlord wants to evict they must first issue a valid Notice To Quit – eg. It’s not valid if they’ve not put your deposit in an official protected scheme. Then they have to go to court. Get advice. If they evict illegally, or harass a tenant, it is a criminal offence. Some tenants are arguing in court that an eviction would infringe their legally-protected human rights to family life.

August 6, 2013  Tags: ,   Posted in: LOCAL CAMPAIGNS, NEWS  Comments Closed

Defend Haringey’s ‘Social Housing’ Tenancy Rights

Please fill in our simple consultation about higher social housing rents and 5-year tenancies:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MYDZV3C

NO to time-limited Council / Housing Association Tenancies! YES to secure tenancies.
NO to ‘Near-Market’ Rents in Social Housing! YES to genuinely-affordable rents.
FILL IN Our Online Consultation
DEMONSTRATE at the Civic Centre, Monday 15th July, 6.30pm

Haringey Council’s new ‘Tenancy Strategy’ would mean much higher rents for many newly-let properties – and 5-year tenancies for most new Council tenancies, in place of the right to permanent Secure tenancies that we have now. Housing Associations will also be able to use 5-year tenancies instead of permanent tenancies. Tenants could be evicted after 5 years, after a ‘light touch’ office decision, with no recourse to a Court to challenge the decision.

The proposed higher rent policy may affect existing social housing tenants who want to transfer. The 5-year tenancy policy will affect children of existing tenants if they need social housing in the future.  Tenants’ rights are under attack by the Con-Dem government. But there is an alternative…

Haringey Council can and should refuse to implement these policies. Instead, the Council should stand up for local people who need secure, permanent accommodation at really-affordable rents. We need more and better Council housing.

The Council are consulting on these proposals up to 20th August. The Council’s consultation is here: http://www.haringey.gov.uk/tenancy-strategy.

However, the consultation is very long and complicated. We feel many people will not feel comfortable with answering it. Whether or not you fill out the Council consultation, we urge you to fill out our short and simple alternative consultation: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MYDZV3C, by 13th August, so we can send the results to the Council.

Secure Tenancies For All!

Join the rally and lobby the Council
Monday 15th July, 6.30pm
Haringey Civic Centre, High Road, Wood Green N22
Our Housing Rights are under attack – we say fight back!

If you can help distribute our leaflets to tenants around the borough please contact us:
Haringey Defend Council Housing c/o paul959burnham@btinternet.com

Campaign supported by Haringey UNISON and the Haringey Federation of Residents Associations and Haringey Private Tenants Network

June 29, 2013  Tags: ,   Posted in: LOCAL CAMPAIGNS, NEWS  Comments Closed

Community Housing Inspectors expose anti-social practices by Haringey Letting Agents and serve Cease & Desist orders

Return of the Community Housing Inspectors – See short video below

On Saturday 27th April 2013,as part of a London-wide day of action against Letting Agents, 20 Haringey Community Housing Inspectors went out to investigate the practices of local Letting Agents in Green Lanes, Haringey. Other actions took place in other parts of London including in Islington/Hackney, Brixton and Herne Hill, see the campaign blog www.letdownblog.wordpress.com Haringey’s action was a follow-up inspection to one held six months ago – in October 2012, members of Haringey Housing Action Group became ‘Community Housing Inspectors’ and exposed the unwelcome practices these Letting Agents are engaged in: profiting and supporting landlords all to the detriment of the basic need of people to find an affordable, secure home.

Opposing discrimination

Over 20,000 households in Haringey rent their homes from private landlords, and about half of these are claiming housing benefit.  The greedy and discriminatory practices of letting agents are a huge problem for Haringey as well as London as a whole. Our inspections showed how local Letting Agents were

  • promoting unaffordable rents
  • discriminating against benefit claimants and people on low wages
  • charging extortionate fees, and
  • offering only insecure tenancies

On Saturday 27th April we returned to carry out further inspections to find out if any of our demands for changes had occurred. We served Cease and Desist Orders on eight Letting Agents found to be engaging with one or more examples of the above greedy and anti-social practices: Wilkinson Byrne, Easy Properties Ltd, A1 Estates, Hane Estates, Kings Lettings, Winkworth, Bairstow Eve, and Brian Thomas.

Our inspections involved interviewing staff inside the various offices and then formally serving Cease and Desist orders on them. We informed the public of the anti-social practices and crimes being committed by the Letting Agents. Our inspectors cordoned off the entrances as a crime scene and gave out over 800 leaflets with our demands. There was great public support from passers by and cars honking their horns.

There were a range of responses. Winkworth and Bairstow Eve closed their doors and refused to answer our inspection survey. An employee at Brian Thomas admitted (before refusing further questions) that new company policy means that they now discriminate by refusing to accept people on housing benefit – a new development, as six months ago our inspection revealed they were. In fact, out of the eight visited three admitted refusal to accept people on benefits.

‘We’re not Letting Agents discriminate!’ banner

We were alarmed to note that Kings Group (who refused to answer our questions last year) require a guaranteed, provable, regular income of 2.5 times the rent before they will accept a tenant. This excludes a large number of tenants who have to try and live off the lowest wages in our society. Rather than this being company policy, they put the blame on the reference company (who they refused to name) who they say make this demand of them.

Another of the Agents, Hane, recognised there was a serious problem with the lack of affordable housing but blamed the government and landlords. Easy Properties also agreed with us that people should not be forced to move due to high rents, but denied any responsibility on their part and called on the Council to do all they could to support tenants in this situation.

There was not enough time to stop at every Letting Agents along Green Lanes, but we already had information that others, for example Paul Simon and Anthony Pepe, were basically no different from the ones above. We agreed to continue to monitor and visit all Letting Agents in the area.

Community Housing Inspector gives report to the public

See short video here

—————————————————————-

Background legal information

The Cease and Desist order* gave notice to the above Letting Agents, as of Sat 27th April 2013, to cease and desist from committing any further anti-social behaviour** and/or crimes against tenants, including one or all of the following:

– Ensuring an unaffordable housing market
[In contravention of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25]
It should be noted that until 1988 most private tenancies were secure / long term and rents were capped by law at affordable levels. In a recent report, one in five landlords had increased their rents because their letting agent had encouraged them to.  This was five times as many who had done so because of increased mortgage costs. Read the rest of this post »

April 27, 2013  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,   Posted in: HHAG ACTIONS, LOCAL CAMPAIGNS, NEWS  Comments Closed

Haringey housing campaigners to stage inspection of local Letting Agents

We demand: Bring rents down – stop discrimination and fees – bring back security of tenure
We believe:  Everyone is entitled to a decent, secure, affordable, local home

Join us for a return of the Community Housing Inspectors

We will once again be taking to the streets of Haringey to inspect local Letting Agents as part of a Day of Action across London.

Saturday 27th April, assemble at 12 noon outside Turnpike Lane tube station

Six months ago, on 6th October 2012, local housing campaigners  became ‘Community Housing Inspectors’ to investigate our local letting agents and uncover the unwelcome practices they are engaged in. See video report: http://haringeyhousingaction.org.uk/community-housing-inspectors-demonstration-video/ Next Saturday we are carrying out further inspections to find out if any of our demands for changes have occurred.  Where they have not, we are providing a ‘Cease and Desist Order’* to those Letting Agents found to be engaging with such greedy and anti-social behaviour.  The ‘Cease and Desist Order’ will only be revoked if they put an end to such practices.

Some of the unwelcome practices include:

  • Discriminating against housing benefit claimants
  • Extortionate charges to prospective and existing tenants
  • Encouraging short term tenancies to maximise renewal fees
  • Inflating rents

It should be noted that until 1988 most private tenancies were secure / long term and rents were capped by law at affordable levels. Fees are categorised as extortion and outlawed in Scotland. Discrimination against benefit claimants should be illegal under Equalities legislation. If you’’ve had enough of such dodgy behaviour, come along. Read the rest of this post »

April 22, 2013  Tags: , ,   Posted in: HHAG ACTIONS, NEWS  Comments Closed

Haringey Haringey Housing Action Group join Haringey Solidarity Group & others demanding return to rent caps and to bring a stop to the benefit cap

Cap Rents NOT Benefits – Scrap the Benefit Cap Protest
Monday 15th April, 8am-10am, Stratford Benefit Delivery Centre, Department for Work & Pensions

https://www.facebook.com/events/555732437791477/?fref=ts

Up to 25 people joined us to protest against the benefit cap on the first day of the pilot due to commence today in Haringey, Enfield, Bromley and Croydon, before being rolled out nationwide in the summer. These four trial boroughs were apparently chosen because one office processes all their benefit claims. We called on the workers to join with us to bring a stop to the cap, and passersby supported our calls to oppose the cap and that a rent cap was required to bring unaffordable rents down. Read the rest of this post »

April 16, 2013  Tags: ,   Posted in: HHAG ACTIONS, LOCAL CAMPAIGNS, NEWS  Comments Closed

Haringey Residents Federation slams benefit cap and calls for affordable housing for all

Sky News interview (15.4.2013) with Federation secretary on day of introduction of benefit cap pilot scheme in four London boroughs including Haringey.

April 15, 2013  Tags: ,   Posted in: LOCAL CAMPAIGNS, NEWS  Comments Closed