Robert Rinder, the reality TV celebrity and barrister, has joined the campaigning charity Shelter to oppose what he describes as illegal evictions and unfair housing policies.
He says in an interview in The Guardian that there are 320,000 renters who have been plunged into arrears because of Coronavirus. `
“Just imagine the implications for our communities and the country at large when we think about the possibility of what will ensue” he says, insisting that the immediate priority of policy makers should be to keep people safe in their homes.
He wants emergency funding to clear renters’ Covid-related arrears and ‘wraparound advice services’ to advise on what he believes will be a coming wave of debt, mental illness and family crisis.
Rinder, who presents the Judge Rinder mock-trial programme on daytime ITV, has become a legal ambassador for the charity, which has 46 solicitors, 25 legal advisers and 30 legal support workers fighting eviction cases, representing tenants in court and helping them access emergency accommodation if required.
The TV star says he was delighted at Shelter’s success in landmark court cases which have established the illegality of so-called 'no DSS' policies by private landlords.
The overt discrimination of 'no DSS' is staggering, he tells The Guardian.
He says people claiming benefits they are entitled to can pay their rent but until the landmark cases they were sometimes refused a home: “Just think of it for a second. If that doesn’t take your breath away, you need to sit down somewhere and think about yourself.”
He also says in the piece that he is aware some people could brand him a bleeding-heart liberal.
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Does he even know anything about the PRS or letting propery?
So called TV reality stars should stay where they belong, on their fake life programmes on telly.
So this Rinder idiot believes LL refuse DSS tenants because they can't afford the rent!?
Doh!
Just proves Rinder hasn't a clue why LL decline DSS tenants.
It's the system dummy not the tenants!!
Totally correct.
Also, he understands nothing. I wonder how he would feel if suddenly he lost all his only income in one hit, through no fault of his own and with no help whatsoever. And when he had done everything asked of him properly and conscientiously and done nothing wrong. Yet at the same time he is forced to continue to work with no recompense.
He's got a daytime TV show, now that sums the sad little man up perfectly, not a clue about the real world out there.
He’s a clown , clearly broadcasting this stuff as his viewers are predominantly tenants
Agreed. Most home owners are working when he's on the box.
Wonder if there's any connection between working hard and home ownership?
He should not be allowed to comment on this issue given he is a bona fide judge.
I think that is illegal as it shows his views before any court case takes place.
I read the whole article and these are only a snapshot of what he said in the interview, and inevitably what has been taken are the headline grabbing comments. He makes some good points in my opinion but also exposes his lack of understanding of why a landlord may refuse to take on a particular tenant.
If he is serious about his new role with Shelter he should encourage them to take a more honest approach to their campaigning. Some of their comments in recent years have been at best selective in their use of data and at worst simply untrue. He may want to help Shelter readdress this and bring them away from their blanket "tenants good - landlords bad" stance.
No landlord will refuse a good tenant who has a good history and can pay the rent. Robert Rinder will do us all a favour if he can address the barriers LL face when considering benefits tenants: lack of guarantors, failure to pay market rents, poor information coming from the benefits system to enable LL to make informed decisions about tenants, slow payments and historical deductions from rent for reasons that have nothing to do with the tenant and their time in that particular house.
Spot on Andrew. Shelter perhaps may also be misrepresented for being too militant, but they only have themselves to blame. Basic negotiating theory dictates you have to engage, concede and compromise to gain. Shelter simply make demands like a petulant child and that union like shouty noise just winds people up and has them lose interest in any constructive engagement that possibly might see some of the changes they might want to happen come to fruition.
I think Shelter should be placed on the Government proscribed list of Terrorist groups.
I'm serious cos thats what they are doing they are terrorising not just the Landlords but the tenants are being harmed too
hes just a twat
I''ii second that !
Couldn't have put it simpler Terry ;-)
Correct.....And a big one too...
The figures above show that SHELTER are nothing more than a Tenant Legal Aid faux charity With massive Tax-payer support.
Wake up Rinder.
Keep on attacking landlords. When landlords leave PRS.
Soon tanents will have no homes and government have failed to solve housing issues for last few decades.lets see how shelter and smart Alec solve the housing issues.
As always no one wins...!
:-(
No David
The rogue tenants win - at the expense of decent landlords and tenants!
I'll never understand why the do gooders keep supporting the scum and harming the decent valuable productive members of society.
Maybe their driving force for equality makes them happy with a race to the bottom?
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