After genteel protests from the Generation Rent ginger group and more pro-active protests from the Acorn group of rental activists, tomorrow it appears to be the turn of Extinction Rebellion.
A statement from the climate campaign group says tomorrow is a ‘national day of action’ involving protests in 12 locations, half of them in London.
The protest sub-group is calling itself Housing Rebellion and spokesperson Grace Lally says: “People are in desperate need of secure affordable homes that don’t cost a fortune to heat, but what we get are completely unsustainable high rise towers of luxury apartments that most people can never afford.
“Why has squatting been criminalised when the real crime is that there are quarter of a million long term empty homes? Another three quarters of a million households in the UK own a holiday home while hundreds of thousands are homeless.
“This Saturday is part of a move towards more national coordination between people who have had enough of the greenwashing and profiteering and are willing to take direct action to fill the empty homes, to stop unsustainable developments and demolition of social housing, and to demand retrofitting to bring our leaky homes up to a decent standard.”
The group promises marches and rallies “demanding an end to the injustice, environmental destruction and greed that together fuel our housing crisis.”
Housing Rebellion says it is part of Extinction Rebellion’s “alliance-building work”, and “aims to connect with and support those at the forefront of the housing and climate crises, to fight the greedy system that puts profit before people and planet.”
It claims to have the support of “local trade union and estate-based campaigns from across the country.”
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)
.jpg)
%20(002).png)
.png)
Join the conversation
Jump to latest comment and add your reply
Hilarious
😂 Great …. Another group of loons to join the others, more the merrier 🎉
Clowns. The same people who say refugees are welcome and then wonder why there is a shortage of property.
Common sense with logic just isn’t there with these groups
This country is a shadow of what it used to be. We need to rid ourselves of this extreme leftist ideology or our country will be unrecognisable.
It just goes to show that all these fringe groups are really the same people. They just change the placards at the hint of a new protest.
Why has squatting been criminalised? - says it all about their mindset.
First things this lot should do is take a bath. Then look for a job to support themselves. They can worry about other things later.
Spot on! But then who in their right mind will give these lazy, destructive criminals, inconsiderate, dirty, filthy, foul mouth, badly behaved, shi* like smelling extinction rebellion people a job🤔
I wouldn’t hire them even to clean the toilets 🚽 in my house, rented homes, empty homes or in commercial corporations buildings.
The govt needs to empower police to arrest, give criminal records and name and shame extinction rebellion protesters to warn their potential employers and general public not to trade or even interact with them.
Extinction rebellion are akin to a terrorist group disrupting civilians peaceful life, destroying others property hence should be declared a terrorist group and banned in the U.K..
Actually they're right about the unaffordable high rise flats but it's theircampaigns against normal decent landlords and tenants that have encouraged the corporates to build them with huge deliberate help from Tory cronies and inadvertent help from all these lefty "activists ".
Interesting that Michael Gove is the patron saint of Extinction Rebellion.. yet more nonsense to muddy the waters..
What is this stupid little idiot rambling on about? 3/4 million have holiday homes? So what, that is 3/4 million who have got off their backsides to buy another home.
3/4 million empty homes? Again why is this? I will help you Grace. I have two empty homes because they have been trashed by scruffy little fkrs like yourself. Left me with over 70 bags of crap..! Not very environmentally friendly is it?
Also now going through court to get my other one back as they have left stuff in there. As I have posted before 30k upside down to put these back on the market. Am I putting them up for rent myself? No, letting agent already lined up at current market rates and 3% rise every year. If tenants want it they pay for it from now on.
You get back to marching and getting all offended where there's nothing to be offended about, smelly little fkrs...
👍🏻 Great post.
A big part of the problem is under utilisation of housing stock. This is largely down to bedroom entitlements and HMO licensing.
My mother used to be a midwife back in the 1950s. She frequently talked about the families on a nearby Council estate and the 13 or 14 children they had. Those houses have only ever had 2 or 3 bedrooms. Now they would be deemed to be overcrowded if more than 4 or 6 people lived in them. Wouldn't a square meter per person formula rather than number of bedrooms be a better idea? Something like one person needs 30m2 and each additional person needs an extra 8m2. So a 90m2 house could have an occupancy of 8 people regardless of the number of rooms.
HMOs are often licensed for one person per bedroom even if the house has ample bathroom facilities for far more. The kitchen provision is a bit harder to provide for greater numbers but in this day and age of dishwashers and air fryers could probably do with modernising the wording.
Retirement housing should be the number one building priority. Virtually every retirement property that is built frees up a family size house in an established area. It doesn't matter if it is Social, owner occupied or PRS virtually every new property aimed at the over 55s will result in better utilisation of existing housing stock. But those new properties need to be attractive to their target market. They need rooms big enough for full size furniture, all the nice bits downsizers have been used to - utility room, study, en-suite, private parking and to be priced attractively. More expensive than a FTB rabbit hutch but significantly less than in a luxury retirement village.
Jo, can I put you forward as the next leader of the NRLA or even a cabinet job in the housing department.
Don't worry you will not have to go out campaigning I will fast track you to the House Of Lords in Rishi's election losing honours list....!
Dame Jo Westlake has certain ring to it.
As I have said before, when I was a student over 50 years ago, 8 guys ( and often several girls) shared a big 4 bedroom flat similar to several where I'm Imited to only 4 tenants nowadays under HMO licence rules.
If Councils were more realistic and modern students willing to share rooms, other than just overnight with someone who was a complete stranger yesterday, rents would be more affordable and the shortage of rental properties would be much less acute.
So you want us to backtrack in time, guess we could add poor houses to your list of wants, your very amusing
David, It is "you're" not "your".
I hardly think asking students to share rooms is a step back towards the Poor House.
However whilst on the subject, I think the taxpayer's money would be better spent in saving the destitute from starvation in Workhouses than keeping the workshy in luxury as happens all too often nowadays.
I agree we need the workhouses back. Too many people around ready to complain about the quality of what they are GIVEN FOR FREE. The boat people are guilty of this too. Arriving uninvited en masse. The government expected to conjure buildings with high living standards, food, clothing, medicine etc, and then all at a reasonable cost.
I am starting another group shortly, demanding that people with more than 1 car give one to me, and it better be a good one. We will hold demonstrations outside mot testing stations!
I think we should start a new group called Extinction of Lefty Scroungers
How will they be demonstrating. Will they be blocking tenants from entering the property they rent? Just wondering how this will work
Spare a thought my grand mother was the youngest of 18, yes they had running water from a mountain stream, no electricity, no gas portable or otherwise, no Benefit of any kind, had a very small holding, grew virtually everything they needed to rear their family, yes they had hens, turkeys, ducks, goats, pigs a cow & a Donkey,
The pigs were their meat no fridges/ freezer’s obviously the bacon was salted / cured in a barrel, they baked all own bread, had a sowing machine & Taylor skills to make clothes for kids. Lived in a three bed Thatched House, the open fire was the cooker and central heating. There was no Bathroom or toilet, the stream with ice cold water had a water fall / spout all the babies bottoms were efficiently washed there. The lights were by candles, the rooms were so dark because of the windows been so small 50c x 40c due to Colonial past where the had to pay taxes according to window sizes, so they were taxed on day light. Come on now with Placards & Benefits you don’t know you are born.
Michael, you will find there will be a protest for that. You may be due reparations for hurt feelings...!
I know the feeling. When I was 20 I lived in a very remote area of India at the foothills of the Himalayan mountains for 3 months. We lived in a mud hut with holes in the walls for windows and doors. No electricity, water or gas. No furniture, just a straw mat under our sleeping bag. The river was our water supply and washing facility. The toilet was dig a hole behind a bush. The nearest town was a days walk, wading through the river, just to get to the bus stop for the trip into town. There was no communication with the outside world, no radio, newspapers etc. Quite an experience!
Micheal, no wonder you have so much guts. Tailor ? Micheal what's happening is what happened in Syria, the ultra rich want a caliphate, which is similar to what our forefathers had. And to do that they want your properties to hand over to the invaders ! Bloodless coup !
Peter S. my friend yes that’s a possibility but it don’t bother me. I was down a 54ft shaft putting a sewer under what was to be the Kings Tunnel in L’pool in the ‘60’s, water pouring down but never mind all that the Union was having a strike, it was normal for them, nothing to do with me but it didn’t stop them chuck bars of steel down the hole so I had to go home, it’s a bit like the dog in the hay he can’t eat it himself but don’t want the animals to have it either.
Peter it’s getting a bit late in the day so boxed up is probably the best way to repatriate me now.
Not related but just picked up on this from another Landlord site (more terrible news):
The new Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service could result in more landlords fighting – and potentially losing – expensive court battles.
There are fears that the threat of a £15,000 legal bill if they lose their possession claim hearing could be enough to dissuade some from taking legal action.
From 1st August, tenants facing eviction or repossession can get free early legal advice on housing, debt, and welfare benefits issues before appearing in court, as well as continuing to get advice and representation on the day of their hearing. It replaces the Housing Possession Court Duty Service which only offers ‘on the day’ emergency advice and advocacy.
This is the most useless service I have ever come across.
I applied for possession of my property and they threw it out saying I didn’t submit evidence? I submitted online as the service says “Online Possession”
They resubmitted knowing I work abroad and said we shall put it in front of the judge as priority..!
Three weeks later after not hearing anything I called again to be told that the judge threw it out because I didn’t attend…?!?!
When I said it does not say I have to attend and when I called the other week explaining working abroad there was no mention of me having to be present.
The response was “Oh”
Wanted another £275 to submit a third time plus £750 for my flights £300 hotel etc etc…
Anyway sorted it but zero fkn help from this shower of fkrs
I recall you stated this a few days ago 👍. I used a solicitor. I am aware of the online service. It should be easy. But everything is against landlords now.
Nick, very good if we lived in a Democracy we would get advice and legal help as well not all one sided.
I see recent local Elections only one third to a quarter bothered to vote so three quarters don’t think there’s any point, no mandate. Everyone should be required to vote it’s not Democratic with three quarters are excluded.
It’s a Legal Requirement to Register to vote so why not one step more and make it a requirement to vote.
They are are very adapt at making steps for Landlords so why not one step more for Voters.
It’s like Brexit. The young didn’t bother to vote. Most I understand are pro EU. Yet they are stuck with the decision of the old who will not be around much longer anyway.
Life is unfair. Especially now for landlords. It won’t get better until we are all gone and another Thatcher comes along and wants to encourage landlords again. Not happening for decades probably!
I don’t fancy the legal aid bit. My policy is ideally if you qualify for legal aid you do not qualify my property!
Michael
This is only the second time I have ever disagreed with you.
I'm very happy for the indolent and ignorant to waive their right to vote.
In fact I would limit the right to vote to those who pay or have previously paid income tax and disenfranchise all freeloaders and scroungers.
The danger of robbing Peter to pay Paul is that there are far more Pauls than Peters but fortunately many of the Pauls are too lazy to vote.
“demanding an end to the injustice, environmental destruction and greed that together fuel our housing crisis.”
Greed, if they think that it is landlords, that is total nonsense. The properties that are rented out are not obtained free of charge. Most of the people have paid deposits and have loans to pay with interest (increasing). They have to continue to pay for gas, electric certificates, EPC, continuous maintenance, even when the tenants do not maintain the property and cause damages like burning carpets, window sills (part of the windows so they cannot be changed), burning worktops, leaving their rubbish time and time again. Bike tyre marks on the walls (need fresh paint every year). Walls full of blue tec. The tenancy agreement do list all the responsibilities and liabilities they should observe as tenants. Most of them do not read any of these details. Most of the time the deposit is not sufficient to pay when they leave the property. With abolition of S.21, they will not pay rent and will continue to damage the property. Where is greed here? Tenants are greedy and thieves, wanting to squat in the properties while spending their money elsewhere, causing inflation. Housing the irresponsible, irate with bad behaviour people should be outlawed. People who cannot or do not wish to pay should be out in the streets after a 2 weeks warning, not 2 months and then landlords stressing over the court application, various written notices by landlord and court, bailiff etc. The cost is well above 10 months loss of rents. Who is greedy? Wanting to stay in a property for which the LL have worked hard and continue to do so. This is now considered old fashioned. Young people want shelter free of charge and do not mind spending in shops, when these shops have continuously raised prices and their percentage profits are way above any LL's income. Just look at the profits made by energy companies or electrical supplier of goods, such as AO, John Lewis or any large consumer suppliers.
These idiots are too scared to immobilise the shops and companies but LL are easy targets for them. A lot of LL are making losses and paying HMRC taxes. People on UC have a great life and as they have a lot of say and obtain easy money. There was a time when single parent went out to work, instead of just claiming UC, HB and just say to the LL HB will pay their rent. Now you find these people do not wish to keep appointments to come to view the property as they feel council should find them one. Councils do not have time for them. Why do they feel that the LL are charities? Food and energy are also important commodities. Why we cannot ask for freezing those prices or ask these companies to pass their profits to the consumers?
Well said.
Agree I was called yesterday to deal with maintenance issues, you won’t believe the kind thing she wanted.
5 No. window handles broken between 4 different rooms ? never in my life did I break one.
She said seals were falling off the double glazed windows but when I examined the window the manufactures seals were still in place, some one had stuck another self adhesive seal around the opening and this is the one falling off.
Last year she got a Zanussi Cooker hood she now wants that replaced it’s dripping with fat but it’s ducted to outside,
She was for ever complaining about the Boiler when was Serviced every year & only 5 years old, Anyway I got her another new one so she can shut up about that.
All those Rogues in Parliament have a lot to answer for, giving ammunition to Tenants completely unjustified.
My Nigerians I have spoken about broke 4 window handles and 3 internal handles came off. How? Again I’ve never had a window handle break. Two were reported to the council and not to me. Later 2 more broke.
I believe her little boy who she probably never took anywhere was bored and used to hang on the door handles. Probably the window handles too. They were Universal Credit people….
The more ammunition you give these people the more unreasonable and demanding they will become. My biggest fear once S21 is gone. Hence they have already gone 😀
Hi peter the same thimg hppened to me put in a section 8 filled all the forms in on line as it was a on line service only full details all address cont numbers and email address etc paid the 3355.00 FEE THEN WAITED for them NEXT THING I KNOW MY TENANT SHOWED ME A LETTER STATING AS No ONE ATTENDED THE CASE WAS THROWN OUT OF COURT!
NO ONE CALLED, MESSAGED ME OR SENT ME A LETTER OF ANY KIND! This is how they work the system of course I had if I wished to proceed I had to pay the court costs again but by that time she had gone I found her another place
I have always set my rents near LHA but when they froze the rate for three years that was the start of the end then of course the UC rip off paying then tenants directly
with Section 21 gone, Ive Gone courts are waste of time
I hear you..! Absolutely not fit for purpose yet want to slam every landlord if they breath the wrong way..
Please login to comment