Speak out on your housing issues
After finding a job in the UK, me and my family had to start the search for a house during quarantine. We knew nothing about how to find reasonable rent or how to travel from home to work. Searching online, we thought it would be difficult to find the right one, but we didn’t expect the level of horrible problems that are faced regularly by people moving to the UK. For this reason, we didn’t even think about support, or our rights.
We are not alone in this, and so I wanted to write and put the word out about the rights you do have. For this reason, we sought out Siobhan from Vauxhall Law Centre, and she has spoken to us about her experience in supporting people.
“I see a lot of cases where people are being taken advantage of because they are new to the country, or they are refugees and on low income. There is rarely an interpreter present when landlord agreements are signed. You even find texts and emails sent to people who don’t always understand written English. It is important to know who your landlord actually is and the rights that you have. People need to know what they should be given when they move in.
“If you move into a property that is in disrepair, it can be very difficult to get anything done about it. You may be able to report to your Local Council or their landlord licensing team and they can bring criminal prosecutions against things like fire hazard, serious infestations or serious damp. So, it is important to check with your Council to see if your landlord is licensed.”
Once we had looked for support and it became clear we could take action, there were still barriers. People would talk about the stress it would take, the trouble you may cause. Best to keep quiet and pay the money. The landlord was even from our own country. He used this against us.
Siobhan said “I have seen cases in Liverpool where people don’t consult anyone outside of their communities. They may be renting from a friend of a friend, or just somebody within the community, and they feel there will be problems speaking against the landlord.
“There are cases in some communities where they are given accommodation on the condition of working for free, fundamentally modern slavery, but the line between support and abuse is blurred. Other people may be getting evicted from Home Office accommodation and need somewhere urgently. They are likely to find something offered within their own community, and then they don’t want to be seen as someone who causes trouble, even if they are with a bad landlord. This can lead to terrible situations that reach crisis point before anyone reaches out for help. So, the big message is speak out. Silence is the biggest problem.”
“Silence is the biggest problem”
When we came to leave our first property, we thought this would end the problems we had. But this was the beginning. There were threats. There was black mail. They told us they could take our visa and they wanted huge payments to cover issues that were their responsibility. Our whole family, including a 6 year old child, were constantly scared and upset. Trying to get our deposit back seemed impossible at the time.
“Under the law it shouldn’t now be possible for a landlord to withhold the deposit, but the problem is that people do not always know their rights. If the landlord tries to evict you and hasn’t protected the deposit, then the courts can declare that they can’t be given a possession order. It is very powerful to know this information.
“The right to rent made it more difficult to find a decent landlord with many not wanting to go through this scheme. Covid has also caused huge problems because it has made already bad waiting times even worse for social rented properties. It has also been a good excuse for landlords not to respond to disrepair, and wear and tear was getting worse with everyone at home during lockdown.
“if you don’t fully know your rights, it is important to know you have them”
“Be aware that, even if you don’t fully understand all of your rights as a renter, it is important to know you have them. Find your local law centre. There is a lot of good advice out there and it is really important to seek that out. The more cases we take against bad landlords, the better they behave. Also look for tenant associations and unions. It is important to know you are not on your own. Word of mouth is also important. When you have knowledge, share it. Tell people where you got your advice and what you know. Contact your law centre or Shelter helpline if you want to take cases further. If you can manage it with the stress, then take cases further. But use the support.”
Talking to supportive people like Siobhan and CAB, gave us hope. We saw what these threats were, and we acted. Our deposit is back. But we still feel this willingness to make money from the lack of knowledge people have. We learnt to speak out and talk.