Brent Council has signed up to a raft of commitments supporting renters that includes a push for borough-wide landlord licensing and rent controls.
Following campaigning by London Renters Union, Brent has vowed to ramp up enforcement action to make sure landlords carry out repairs and respect tenants’ rights, and are made to pay fines when they don’t. It will also take action against landlords that fail to provide warm, energy efficient homes, update its customer service charter and take action to support a number of union members in a dispute with their landlord.
Keeping promises
A public information campaign about renters’ rights and the London Renters Union will follow, while councillors will meet with union representatives regularly to prove they are keeping their promises.
A spokesman for London Renters Union says these changes could improve housing conditions for thousands of renters across Brent. “This is a huge victory for our members in Brent, who started organising just over a year ago and have been working tirelessly towards the recent negotiation with council leaders in recent months,” he says.
Local elections
The union now hopes to win similar commitments in other boroughs across London and, ahead of the local elections in May, will hold events, protests, meetings and run street stalls, while promoting the issue through its social media campaign #SideWithRenters. It has labelled its work with Brent the first campaign win. The union spokesman adds: “We need councils to use their powers to hold landlords accountable when they break the rules, we need more social housing, we need councils to stop trying to force people out of their communities – and we need councils to join us in calling for rent controls.”
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