The Acorn statement says: “If the government won’t protect renters, we will! ACORN stands up for our members and communities, fighting back against poor quality of housing, bullying landlords and bad estate agents, and we will resist attempts to make anyone homeless this winter.
“Not only will we continue using our strength in numbers to resist evictions, but we will be running eviction resistance training up and down the country. If you sign this pledge, we'll let you know about training sessions near to you. Today, we’re asking you to take a pledge to keep people safe in their homes!” (Our emphasis).
Acorn is part of the so-called Renters Reform Coalition, a group set up around two years ago and which includes Shelter, the National Union of Students, the London Renters Union and the office of London Mayor Sadiq Khan. The coalition is managed by Generation Rent, which is led by former Labour peer Baroness Alicia Kennedy.
At the time it was set up spokeswoman Bridget Young - of the Nationwide Foundation, which helps fund the coalition - said: “The government has pledged to end section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, and one year ago we welcomed its plans to reform private renting in the upcoming Renters’ Reform Bill.
“This bill is an opportunity to redesign our housing system, creating a fairer balance between renters and landlords. Implemented correctly, these reforms are also a chance to improve the safety, security and condition of privately rented homes.
“We are looking forward to working with the government and other partners, to take this opportunity to deliver a more just housing system. The Coalition is a broad group but we are united in our belief that everyone needs a safe, affordable and secure home, where they can live and flourish.”
Earlier this year Acorn was involved in a court dispute which ended with it having to pay just under £100,000 to a landlord to settle a legal case for harassment, defamation and breach of data rights.
Acorn waged what the landlord’s legal defence called “a campaign of harassment.” It reportedly included filming and confronting the landlord at her home, holding placards bearing defamatory statements, blogging and posting abusive statements on social media, threatening her using a loud hailer, approaching her in public, and holding a ‘public meeting’ about her outside Sheffield town hall.
Neighbours received leaflets calling the landlord “dodgy”. Yet the dispute between the landlord and her tenant - said to be an Acorn member - was over just £300.
JMW Solicitors, which represented the landlord, said the campaign went on for four months, and involved “noisy demonstrations involving scores of people as well as highly defamatory and incorrect posts on social media”.
At the time of the case the Sheffield Star quoted the landlord as saying: “The last two years have been unbearable and frightening. I’m relieved and pleased the case has been resolved in my favour and now the harassment will stop. I also wanted to prevent this from happening to other business owners.”
Head organiser for the group, Nick Ballard, said at the time: “We can't comment on the specifics of this case but ACORN remains committed to its mission of winning justice for and protecting its members and advancing the cause of low income people and communities across the country. Nothing will deter us from this.”
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Sounds a tad illegal to me
Another reason to get out of the PRS thereby reducing the supply and forcing rents up. Do they not see what they are doing?
Nope 😬 I suspect they do not, or they don’t care…. Remember they are pulling in a decent ‘ whack’ when it comes to salary.
Surely estate agents have to sign up and be part of a redress scheme, so what makes these people think they can do a better job overall?
They don’t even begin to understand the damage they are doing not least to Tenants.
It’s collapsing the whole business. All this talk about fault or no fault eviction is rubbish. When they rent a property they sign a Contract for a definite term. So when to Contract ends it’s hardly an eviction the Contract has ended.
When a footballers Contract ends at a Club he can’t force the Club to keep him.
That is the truth, but all the rental reform propaganda has sought to create a false reality.
@ Michael Foley - You are grossly mistaken - a fixed term contract is the MINIMUM guaranteed term of a tenancy capable of lasting indefinitely until ended by the tenant or by the court, via bailiffs. Many landlords incorrectly seem to think the fixed term is the maximum. If you don't know the basic legal features of a tenancy what on Earth are you doing in the business of renting out property?
@HouseMartin - By your logic, what is the point of a fixed term contract if you can stay as long as you want. If the fixed term is one day, you can just carry on and stay as long as you want? Doesn't make sense to me.
It’s funny how these lemming MPs follow the tide rather than think about the tsunami they are causing. Does anyone know the date Section 21’s cancellation comes into effect?
I think it's a little way off yet, however it would be wise to be getting rid of any suspect tenants ASAP even if that means a property sitting empty
My S21 expire on Saturday :) Suspect tenant or course. 4 years to go on mortgage. Contemplating leaving it empty too!
Harrasment is a criminal offence. Where were the police ? In fact do we have a police force?
Tenants have a Police force if they get illegally evicted or have any form of harrassment. "Greedy" and "callaous" (to quote the Labour MP Graham Stinger) landlords do not have a Police force.
Keep digging Acorn....
As 84% of Tenants are satisfied with renting, and its the very small % of Rogue tenants Legally evicted ( after what must be said to be a long arduous process geared in Tenants favour ) that would resort to Acorn, they can truly be said to be a
Acorn = Rogue Tenants support group.
There not just getting rid of S21 but loosing a whole load of accommodation as well that’s clear enough.
One thing to say it and another to do it. Just more ranting and seeking attention.
Let's stick to the facts.....more tenants get on with their Landlord's than have issue's with them.
When the private Landlord leaves, giving more of the market to the corporate Landlord we will see if that figure of 84% is maintained.
Well we all know what it's like trying to deal with the '' corporates '' tenants are going to be very unhappy same as council and housing association tenants are
I am now finding all these stories amusing 😃, it’s like each of the lefties are trying to out do each other with bending over backwards to assist the poor and impoverished tenants 😂😂
This is me to. I find Labour, Shelter, Generation Rent and Acorn absolutely astonishing.
I read the White Paper to literally half way purely for the comedy horror show value alone. I sent my first ever tweets on Twitter on Monday attacking Shelter (I got blocked), GR and Acorn.
The whole situation of wokeness and virtue signaling is absolutely hilarious. 😃😃😃😃😃
Simon I am glad you have a sense of humour left, it too serious to be funny. No point scoring here but if you purchase a house now with is a huge financial commitment + throw 10’s of thousands SD at Government, guess what a guy walks in off the Street and is far more entitled to the house than the fool who bought it.
This is why landlords aren't buying, just makes no sense to be buying now
That's why I'm selling.
Nick… Me too.
Just read an article put out by rightmove. They have assessed the impact to the housing market since the mini budget.
One statistic that i noted, and just to be clear they have said that the market is broadly comparable to this time of year before the pandemic in 2019. There are now 4% more properties on the market since the budget. I'd put a sizeable wager that most of that figure is Landlord's.
Maybe it could be time for tenants to complain about the planned cancellation of Section 21.
Today i met a letting only Landlady. She asked me how to serve Section 21 while she still can.
Another family will loose their home.
What does Generation Rent and Shelter think can possibly be good about this?
It's easy Sue, Generation Rant, Shelter etc are full of bitter and twisted people, they are not there for the good of tenants, they are there to stick the knife into landlords who they hate and for their inflated wage these 'charities' ? (businesses) pay them
Sue, Tenants were the biggest beneficiaries of Section 21.
So many got Council to house them armed with S21 Court Order, they all wanted one many colluded with landlords to achieve this and the Council’s know all this but won’t say it. Why the Council’s ever gave themselves a Statutory Duty to house people because they had a S21 I’ll never know, for the LL he had to do it because that’s what the Law said he had no other option but go through the Court that’s the mistake the law makers made.
May be programs like Panarama need to be won over. We should court the media. People give to charity may expose the narrative.
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