Activists in the Acorn group is hoping to attract Labour councillors who run Leeds to a meeting next week, which will press for an extension to the city’s existing selective licensing regime.
In a statement, Acorn Leeds says: “Almost every person we talk to who has any experience of renting has a bad story to share, too often these experiences go unheard and the issues renters deal with on a daily basis go unresolved.
"With the increasing impact of the cost of living crisis, the Renters’ Forum is an opportunity for normal working people of Leeds to have their voices heard and demand change – and for Leeds city council to meaningfully demonstrate that they are paying attention."
Earlier this summer the campaigners handed a letter to Leeds council’s housing chiefs demanding city-wide licensing for all private rental sectors landlords.
Acorn says: “You need a licence to cut hair, you need a licence to look after dogs, but you don’t need a licence to house people. We don’t think that’s right and we’re demanding that Leeds City Council ban slum landlords by implementing landlord licensing across our city.”
The activists claim landlord licensing would enable the council to set standards for the condition of properties, clamp down on health and safety abuses, raise the ratings of Energy Performance Certificates, and ensure the fitting of carbon monoxide alarms.
“The result is fewer slum landlords and safer, better quality housing for renters” says Acorn, which wants an all-city extension to the existing licensing regime which operates in a small part of inner city Leeds covering 6,500 rented properties.”
Acorn goes on: “Private tenants are familiar with the problems of private rents – mould, damp, stolen deposits, astronomical up-front costs, persistent disrepair, unaffordable cost, and little insulation
“Poor quality housing has a massive impact on the quality of life and wellbeing of tenants. Alongside poor conditions and unaffordability, private tenancies are fundamentally insecure and short term.
“There is a fundamental imbalance of power in the landlord-tenant relationship.”
Want to comment on this story? Our focus is on providing a platform for you to share your insights and views and we welcome contributions.
If any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.
Please help us by reporting comments you consider to be unduly offensive so we can review and take action if necessary. Thank you.
.jpg)
.png)
Join the conversation
Jump to latest comment and add your reply
Very surprising Acorn wants higher Rents for Tenants, this is exactly what Selective Licensing means, have they not learned anything from existing schemes which is the main reason for unaffordable Rents now.
Talk about turkeys voting for Xmas.
Fine I'll sign up for a licence -- but it'll be my tenants paying the costs
I'm surprised that any of the folk associated with acorn, generation rent, shelter et al can still walk given the number of times they keep shooting themselves in the foot!
Oh be-Jesus… will they never learn. High rents then 😂
The comment about other trades being licenced, then landlords should be taxed like other trades.
These People are idiots not Activists . On 18 December 2022 Councillor Mark Drayton said there were 23000 on the waiting list for homes in Leeds. By October 2021 it had increased to 26000.
The Council Managed to supply 800 homes.
It is probably Thousands more as Landlords are forced to sell up. Or increase Rents to cover ever escalating costs. My Poll says 100% of these people on the waiting List would like a home. and 100 of current tenants would not like a £100 per month rent increase.
Acorn can't substantiate their remarks, so they are framed in a euphemistic style.
Maybe they're not so stupid. Let's face it, if the government and councils sorted out all their housing, there'd be no reason for Shelter, Gen Rant, Acorn and Co, and they'd have to go and get proper jobs ! So, all this nonsense causes more misery (they know that), which then ensures that they've got more unhappy tenants beating a path to their door to moan about the problems that they actually caused. Smart eh!
A Community Residents Public meeting held in Greenford, Ealing other night where Police & Council attended. This was following 6 murders in 13 weeks including the widely reported mobility murder victim whom I seen last Sunday morning playing the According
out Tesco’s RIP all. The Meeting repeatedly blamed HMO’s for disorder, fighting, urinating and drug dealing. Residence calling for more HMO Regulation’s, so they haven’t a clue they don’t even know they are vastly over Regulated already with the wrong Regulation’s, including the LL been excluded from the Property, made toothless to do anything, all his rights removed and prevented from Managing to Property, then prosecute for no being in Control. The Police attempted to answer questions but were stumped, the Council stayed quiet and didn’t comment. Drug dealing done openly I seen that, not Landlords place or remit that’s a Police matter. Urinating in Public now very common thanks to local Authorities closing huge numbers of public toilets, where are people supposed to go ? the facilities already existed and they closed them.
Absolutely agree Michael. Much too much Council interference in private property to the detriment of everyone.
The Government and local councils should concentrate on what is state owned - build very high quality flats, high quality hospitals where all the rooms are private and en-suite - and concentrate on raising standards in state schools. And leave private property and private companies alone. Tax payers' money should be invested for the people and not wasted.
Please login to comment