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Labour-supporting tenants invited to “eviction resistance training”

A mailing list operated by the left wing activists’ group Momentum has been used to win support for a rent strike campaign and to get tenants on to “eviction resistance training.”

The London Renters Union launched its Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! campaign over the weekend, and used the mailing list of the Labour-backing Momentum group to help gather support. 

The union says in a statement: “Renters have already begun pledging to withhold enough of their rent to meet their other basic needs, like food. Others will also be able to join the campaign in solidarity, including by signing up for eviction resistance training.”


It continues: “Over 11,000 LRU members and supporters have been invited to join, as have all those on the mailing list of Momentum, who are backing the campaign. Those who sign up will be invited to renter solidarity meetings where they’ll be given information about their rights and the risks of withholding rent, and advice on how to tell their landlord that they will be withholding rent.”

The union has already asking the government to suspend rent payments in the private sector for the duration of the Coronavirus crisis, make the current evictions ban permanent, cancel all rent debt, introduce rent controls and end Right To Rent migration status checks in the housing system.

Amina Gichinga, an organiser with the LRU, says: “We’re encouraging renters to keep enough of their rent so they can prioritise food and other essentials. This is so renters can stay safe and to pressure the government to protect renters from rent debt and eviction. 

“We’re bringing together those already in rent debt so they have a voice and we’re training renters on how to prevent and resist evictions in case the government continues to fail us.”

Gichinga claims many Londoners normally spend 60 or 70 per cent of their income of rent and already don’t have enough for the basics “so there’s no way renters can afford to repay missed payments.” 

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  •  G romit

    "We’re encouraging renters to keep enough of their rent so they can prioritise food and other essentials....."

    So the LRU doesn't think a roof over your head is essential. Mmmmmm????

  •  G romit

    So the LRU thinks driving Landlords out of business, into bankruptcy and having properties repossessed is going to help tenants? Mmmmmmm????

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    Tenants must be cardeful what they ask for. The age of Neo Rachmanism is not far away.


    SAdly, David, in ther blind hatred of landlords, they fail to realise that when the good landlords are driven out by their campaigning, they will be left with the bad.

    The silence from the NRLA is deafening.

  • PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend

    Landlords need to obtain the list of London Renters Union members and Momentum, and put them on a Blacklist - NEVER to be rented to in the PRS.
    There surely has to be some Data Protection infringement here by Momentum handing over details of its members ?

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    The government need to stamp out movements like this immediately.

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    • 18 May 2020 11:34 AM

    So for those LL that depend on rent for their main or most income how are they supposed to prioritise food etc if they have no income!?

    This is even with forgetting the 50% of the PRS which has mortgages to service.

    According to the bonkers logic of this LRU all food should be free

    Shoplifting shouldn't be a criminal offence during this period!!!

    How long before starvation would occur!?
    Can't see many supermarkets providing free food!!
    If Govt attempts to prevent LL from evicting then there will be a mass ignoring of the Prevention of Eviction Act.

    Much work for rough men with baseball bats and balaclavas making late night visits.
    Many mobile phones will be broken when they drop to the floor with great force!!
    No calling 999!!

    Surely Govt must understand LL will NOT sit idly by and allow themselves to be financially destroyed by feckless tenants!?

    These rent defaulting feckless tenants have had plenty of opportunities to build up savings for the proverbial rainy day.

    Clearly few of them have bothered.
    Is that the LL fault!?
    I think NOT.
    Time for tenants to stop being feckless and have savings to cover their rent in the event of things like CV19 occurring or even just being made redundant.
    The biggest problem though is that the existing dysfunctional eviction process encourages fecklessness.
    Quite frankly the AST letting business model is looking quite fragile.
    For those LL that survive will they just carry on in the same old way!?
    Can't see it myself; way too risky.
    I'm sure many LL will be rethinking what they may do for the future.
    I do believe that all these circumstances have at last made LL realise how vulnerable they are to feckless tenants and the very dysfunctional eviction process.
    Neither of these two risks will change.
    So is it really worth the risk of being an AST lettings LL!
    Perhaps a LODGER LL might be more effective.
    Nothing wrong with having multiple residential homes and living in them once per month.

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    I see every comment on here only complaining about tenants however the tenants actually Have no way to apply for a rent holiday where is LL do Have the option of applying for a mortgage holiday

    The whole issue needs to be addressed for both LL’s and tenants. It needs to be humane for all parties involved but obviously homelessness is a very big problem and it is going to become a very big problem


    Are you blind, Alan? The web is full of ways for tenants to contact landlords if they are having GENUINE difficulties in paying their rent. The NRLA even has template letters covering the response from the landlord.

    As for landlords having a mortgage holiday, you do realise that it is anything but a holiday? The interest still accrues and the payments due when the landlord does not have to pay the mortgage either have to be paid over the term of the mortgage OR the mortgage period is extended. Hardly a holiday.


    Plus if a landlord applies for one of these 'holidays' then it screws his/her chances on applications for other mortgages. So if he's got one of more coming to the end of their deals he's going to be stuck on the SVR which could be very, very costly.

    PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend

    Alan, landlords only ever complain about 5% of Tenants, and strangely, it always seems to be the same tenants. The ones that don't pay rent when there ISN'T Covid, the tenants that damage property and don't abide by their contractual agreements.
    Tenants, like shop customers are absolutely essential for landlords and like shops, its just the dishonest ones ( shoplifters ) that cause a problem for everyone else who one way or another has to end up paying for the Freeloaders.


    I think Alan Smith is Amina Gichinga in drag.

    • 18 May 2020 21:23 PM

    Oh dear are you really that brain dead!?
    You seriously can't be a LL or LA or any part of the PRS.
    Your comments are that stupid.
    So let us address your stupid comments.
    Pray tell what business is it of any tenant as to how LL finance the letting property!?
    It is NONE of the tenant's business.

    It is for the tenant to have sufficient resourcing in place to cover for the proverbial rainy day.
    It is not for the LL to have savings to cover for feckless tenants not having resources to meet their normal monthly domestic costs.

    If tenants choose to live a feckless lifestyle that is their choice.
    Responsible people build up savings to cover for these unfortunate black swan events.
    Though surely redundancies are something that any reasonably astute rather than feckless tenant would realise might occur!!!!
    If you are involved in the PRS beyond that of being a Tenant then such idiocy as you have displayed knows no bounds!!!

    It is NOT the fault of the LL if the tenant is feckless.
    It is for Govt if they so choose to resource tenants to be able to pay their FULL CONTRACTUAL RENT.
    If tenants are unable to achieve this then they should offer to vacate to the LL.
    It is then for the LL to determine whether they wish the tenant to vacate.
    If this makes the tenant homeless.................TOUGH!!!!
    It is not for the LL to provide free accommodation.

    Many LL may choose to do this but that would be their business choice.

    A tenant unable to pay rent for WHATEVER reason should always offer to surrender their tenancy.
    There should be NO expectation that the LL will continue to house the rent defaulting tenant.

    It is of no concern to the LL that by surrendering a tenancy the tenant becomes homeless.
    LL are operating a BUSINESS and SHOULD have the right to operate it effectively.
    So if a tenant surrenders a tenancy then for the LL that is just TOUGH!!

    NO LL has the right to expect that he will have tenants in occupation at all times paying the contractual rent.
    This is the BUSINESS risk of being a LL.
    However by feckless tenants refusing to vacate and Govt facilitating tenants from being evicted all this prevents LL from conducting their business.
    Inability to remove rent defaulting tenants prevents LL from even attempting to source new rent paying tenants.

    AST lettings businesses are the ONLY business that is legalky firced to provide accommodation services without payment being made.

    Why do you believe it is LL that should subsidise the feckless lifestyles of rent defaulting tenants.

    Of course LL have empathy for tenants but that doesn't extend to providing free accommodation if the LL can possibly avoid it.


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