Whose side is Hackney Council on?
Zoë Garbett (Councillor & Assembly Member) and Antoinette Fernandez (Hackney Green Party member) are both private renters in Hackney and have reviewed the council’s private sector housing strategy.
With skyrocketing rents, insecurity, poor conditions, bidding auctions, and discriminatory behaviours by landlords and estate agents - the private rented sector is in desperate need of reform, but it must have the rights and needs of renters at its heart.
Hackney Council has just published a ‘Private Sector Housing’ Strategy for consultation - a strategy of this sort is much needed but sadly the title tells you much of what you need to know. Instead of being a strategy focused on the rights of renters - it very much has the interests of landlords and developers front and centre - from not supporting rent controls, to a focus on the build-to-rent sector and even…discounts and council tax breaks for landlords attending a Landlord Forum.
Some questionable claims that a “majority” of landlords provide a professional service, stating they are working alongside unions (which is not London Renters Union’s experience) and the strategy also quotes “anecdotal evidence” for a claim about landlords.
To summarise our key concerns:
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Landlord licensing: the strategy section on licensing starts by talking about “anti-social behaviour, noise complaint, nuisance neighbours” (page 9) not the benefits of licensing to tenants in terms of better quality housing and protections. The strategy also states the council will “consult” on extending selective licensing despite having a pilot and committing in 2022 to bring this in within two years. Licensing is needed urgently.
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NO to any discounts or tax breaks for landlords - it is essential that this is taken out of the strategy, not only does this financially support landlords it reduces income for the council at a time when cuts to vital services are being made.
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Hackney Council needs to be calling for rent controls - this is a key campaign of the London Renters Union, calling for controls to significantly reduce rent and for rents to be set by local, democratic bodies. Greens fully support rent controls.
- Instead, the strategy focuses on the build-to-rent sector seeking to ‘secure investment’ for build-to-rent - any investment must maximise council homes in any development.
Now, there are some good points in this strategy such as focusing on improving quality, lobbying for powers to regulate the short-term let sector (e.g. Air BnB) and calling for the advertised price to be the final price tenants are expected to pay (although this wouldn’t be needed if we had rent controls!).
The Living in Scrutiny Commission (of which Zoë is a member) questioned the Deputy Mayor of Private Renter Sector & Housing Affordability for an hour regarding the strategy. You can watch the discussion here.