Next meeting: Tues, 8th March: action planning, letting agents and more

Please join us for our next monthly meeting this Tuesday, 8th March, at the Unite Community Centre, basement of St George’s Town Hall, 236 Cable Street, E1 0BL.

After a great action against letting agent fees two weeks ago, which made the front page of the local paper, we’ll be planning our next action against the privatisation of social housing that puts more pressure on the private rental sector.

We’ll also be discussing what we should do next with our letting agent fee research and what do we want our council to do – we’ll be meeting them later this month to discuss.

And with the Housing Bill flying through Parliament there’s a number of upcoming events and actions. We’ll discuss if and what we want to be involved in.

We’ll also hear about Share Action, a campaign group that buys company shares so that activists can ask awkward questions at their AGM. Is there a ruthless developer that operates in Tower Hamlets that we could target?

We’ll also discuss our new drop-in service for private renters and how we should let people know about it.

So lots to talk about and get involved in. Would be great to have you there.

7-9pm, Tuesday 8th March at Unite Community Centre, basement of St George’s Hall, 236 Cable Street, E1 0BL.

 

Next Meeting: 7-9pm, Tues, 9 Feb: drop-in service, letting agent fees, licensing

Please join us for our next meeting this Tuesday, 9 Feb, 7-9pm at the usual place: basement of St George’s Hall, 236 Cable St, E1 0BL.

We’ll be discussing our proposed drop-in service we hope to kick-off later this month, how we should engage with the council, what we should do next after completing our research into the borough’s letting agent fees, what action we should take after the privatisation of Balfron Tower, and the usual updates on recent events – including the introduction of landlord licensing in TH – and ones coming up.

Hopefully see you there

TH Renters

Next TH Renters meeting: 7-9pm, Tues, 10th Nov: eviction resistance, letting fee research, landlord licensing demo

Next meeting: 7-9pm, Tues, 10th Nov, Unite Community Centre, basement of St Georges Town Hall, 236 Cable St, Shadwell, E1 0BL.

Please join us for our next meeting where we will be hearing about the eviction resistance network and if and how we can set one up in Tower Hamlets. ER is not only a great way of stopping people being kicked out onto the streets, but also to give support for people who often feel alone and powerless, to learn about housing law and our rights from one another, and to meet other activists and local people fighting for better housing.

We will also be looking to encourage people to get involved with our online letting agent fee research project and maybe finish the meeting with a group session for those interested. Generation Rent has made a special software application that had compiled a list of agencies that operate in the borough – it just needs us to fill in the blanks!

And finally we are thinking about holding a demo outside the Town Hall before the next full council meeting about the hold up in implementing the proposed landlord licensing scheme. The new mayor and head of housing have both refused to say what their plans are. TH Renter Michael James will be asking just that to the chamber.

We’ll also hear the usual updates and what is coming up not least the Radical Housing Network’s conference on Sat, 14th Nov.

Hope to see you next week

Next TH Renters meeting: 7-9pm, Tues, 13 Oct @ 236 Cable St. E1

Please join us for our next meeting in the basement of St George’s Hall, 236 Cable St, E1 0BL.

We’ll be catching up with people facing eviction, how they dealt with it and what we can learn from it. If you’re facing a landlord nightmare come share it with us and join the fight for better conditions in the private rental sector.

We’ll also be looking at getting started with our TH letting agent research project and how to help with that. We hope to compile a list of the fees they’re charging and report the ones not displaying them – liable to a £5,000 fine – to the council.

We’ll also discuss Poplar Harca’s plans to refurbish and privatise Balfron Tower after it finally submitted a planning application. Should we get involved with any campaign to keep it social?

We’ll also be finalising arrangements for our first Chrisp St Market public meeting to discuss Poplar Harca’s plans to redevelop it and find out what people want to know and do about it.

If you have any private renter issues you would like us discuss or campaign on please get in touch or come to the meeting.

Hope to see you there

TH Renters

Upcoming housing events in Sept/Oct – something for everyone :o)

Want to learn more about housing, start taking action or find out how? Then come to one of the events below to meet like-minded people fighting for safe, secure and affordable housing.

1. Save Chrisp St Market – 7-9pm, Weds, 23 Sept: with our first public meeting booked for end of October we need to start planning and organising for it and the campaign in general. Please join us if you want to get involved with any aspect: web stuff, logo/leaflet design, writing content, publicity, or just generally helping out. Address: Common House, 5e Pundersons Gardens, E2 9QG.
2. East London in Crisis – 2.30-8pm, Sat, 26 Sept: a community gathering organised by local union branches and campaign groups to find out what’s going on and how to get involved with housing, education, welfare and health campaigns. Address: St Matthias Community Centre, Poplar High St, E14 0AE.
3. Eviction Resistance workshop – 12.30-2.30pm: learn how to resist evictions with the support of others and the relevant laws around S21, bailiffs and the council’s duty to house you. Address: St Barnabas Church, St Barnabas Rd, E17 8JZ.
4. TH Federation of TRAs – 7-9pm, Mon, 28 Sept: monthly meeting of the Fed with the new cabinet member for housing as guest speaker. It will also be the Fed’s AGM for the last part. Address: Collingwood Hall, Collingwood Street, Whitechapel, E1.
5. Community organising for renters – 10.30am-5.30pm, Sat, 3 Oct: learn how to organise with your communities to stand up to landlords and campaign against housing injustice. Address: Green Lanes Methodist Church, 132a Green Lanes, N16 9BN.
6. People’s Housing Conference – 10am-5pm, Sat, 10 Oct: find out all you need to know about the state of housing, the fightback against it, and how to get involved. Address: Friends Meeting House, 173-177 Euston Road, Euston, NW1 2BJ.
7. Reclaim Tower Hamlets – 7-9pm, Mon, 12 Oct: meeting of the new group that aims to bring direct action to campaigning in Tower Hamlets. Address: LARC, Fieldgate St, Whitechapel, E1.
8. Tower Hamlets Renters – 7-9pm, Tues, 13 Oct: monthly meeting that discusses housing issues, supports people with them and plans actions and campaigns to tackle them. Address: basement of St Georges hall, 236 Cable St, Shadwell, E1 0BL.
9. Save Chrisp St Market public meeting – evening time tbc: first meeting to bring residents, shoppers and traders together to demand a say in Poplar Harca’s plans to redevelop the site. Address: St Matthias Community Centre, Poplar High Street, E14 0AE.

Next TH Renters meeting: 7-9pm, Tues, 8 Sept, 236 Cable St, E1

Please join us for our next meeting this Tuesday, 7-9pm, in the basement of St Georges Hall, 236 Cable St, Shadwell, E1 0BL.

Catch up on what we’ve been up to over the summer and what we’ve got planned this autumn. Lots to get involved in or if you’re having a private landlord nightmare come share it with us.

On the agenda is:

1. Planning for a community meeting in Poplar about Poplar Harca’s plans to redevelop Chrisp St market. What do residents, traders and shoppers want? So far Harca has failed to ask. We hope to bring the community together and get the conversation started.
2. Getting started with our letting agent online research campaign. We’ll take a look at how people can help list the letting agents operating in the borough, their fees, and if they’re regulated.
3. Supporting people facing eviction. What can we do to help? We’ve had a number of requests to support people facing eviction recently and do what we can, but could no doubt do more. What can we learn from Eviction Resistance and should we formally connect with them?
4. Landlord licensing scheme. The much heralded scheme has been put on hold by the new administration as it gets to grips with its ‘to-do’ list. What should we do to help push it along in the direction that benefits tenants most?

Plus all the usual updates from Stop the Blocks, Radical Housing Network, and upcoming dates for the diary including East London in Crisis on 26th Sept

Hope to see you there :o)

Next TH Renters meeting: 7-9pm, Tues, 14th July, 236 Cable Street

Please join us for our next meeting to discuss what’s next for TH Renters and get involved in one of our campaigns.

On the agenda is:

• Stop the Blocks: Tower Hamlets housing alternative walking tour (Aug 8th)
• Consulting Chrisp St market tenants and traders about the expected demolition
• Tower Hamlets letting agency fees research
• TUSH Housing co-op: TH Councils to kick out the last remaining tenants including an 82-year-old
• And updates from the Radical Housing Network and TH landlord Licensing scheme

Address: basement of St George’s Hall, 236 Cable Street, E1 0BL, 7-9pm

Next TH Renters meet: Weds, 10 June, 7-9pm Shadwell: What’s next? Balfron, Chrisp St, licensing & July action

Hi All,

please join us for our next TH Renters meeting next Weds in the basement of St George’s Hall, 236 Cable Street, E1 0BL. The venue was booked for our normal Tuesday so re-arranged it for Wednesday – hope that’s okay for people.

We’ll be reporting back on what we’ve been up to and what we’re planning including:

1. Chrisp St market regeneration: we’ve held three successful stalls gathering emails and personal stories, and are proposing carrying out a consultation with residents who will be affected. But planning permission is yet to be submitted. What next: more stalls, consultation, pause, or something else?
2. Balfron Tower: plans to leaflet the block – that is inhabited mainly by property guardians – on their rights and how can we solidify fragmented interest in campaigning against its complete sell-off on the private market.
3. Stop the Blocks: feedback on plans for a weekend of action in July to highlight the sell-off of land and property to private developers across Tower Hamlets including Balfron.
4. Chapman House: Victory for Michael. A private tenant we’ve supported for the last 18-months looks set to remain in his home after three attempts by the landlord to kick him out for reporting dangerous conditions to the council. Hear about this amazing victory!
5. Landlord licensing: TH is mid-consultation on introducing a scheme, but after a recent change in the law and the type of scheme being pursued the majority of the borough may not be covered. Should we do more than just respond to the consultation: maybe ask a question at full council?
6. A new private renters’ issue to campaign on: With the new government offering nothing in the way of protection or security for private renters it’s left to us to highlight and tackle the problems facing private renters, so what should be our next project? Letting agents (are they fulfilling their obligations under the Redress Scheme and Trading Standards), creating info leaflets for tenants (research shows most don’t know their rights), a poster campaign (creatives needed :o)?

So lots to discuss and the more input the better! Please get in contact if you have any questions – hopefully see you next Wednesday, 10th June, 7-9pm.

TH Renters

Tower Hamlets public consultations on landlord licensing

Tower Hamlets Council is holding a series of public meetings (see below) on introducing a landlord licensing scheme for residents to learn how it will work and benefit them.

Officially the scheme is to force landlords to take more responsibility for their properties and the tenants that live in them – in particular to tackle anti-social behaviour: noisy neighbours, rubbish being left out on the street, drug dealing or properties being allowed to fall into a state of disrepair.

In reality the scheme can also be used to pressure and force landlords to take better care of their properties and meet minimum legal standards to the benefit of their tenants. Any landlord who is found to break the conditions of the license – including not having one – faces a fine of up to £20,000, a potential ban from operating in the borough, and is prevented from evicting their tenants.

Next meeting: Tues, 14 April, discussing: landlord licensing, Poplar Harca, Holland Est, upcoming action

Please join us for our next meeting: 7-9pm, Tues, 14 April, at Unite Community Centre, basement St Georges Hall, 236 Cable Street, Shadwell, E1 0BL.

So the summer appears to be here – for now at least – so what better than to organise a day out in the sun campaigning for safe, secure and affordable housing – and to prevent the loss of what we have! The action will take place at the end of the month.