Join us in London or call a protest in your local area
Saturday 11 February, Assemble 12 noon
Department of Levelling Up, 2 Marsham St, London SW1P 4DF
- Rent Freeze Now! – Service Charge Freeze Now! – Stop the Evictions!
- Demand the Government funds a rent freeze!
Download the Rent Freeze Day of Action Leaflet here
As the social emergency intensifies, more and more of us find it harder to cover the basics – living on poverty wages and inadequate benefits. In many places rents are rising faster than inflation, private landlords force prospective tenants to pay for viewings and tenants in social housing are faced with a 7% rent rise in April 2023. We came together to protest at the Department of Levelling Up in October and we supported the London Renters Union and Greater Manchester Tenants Union on their Rent Freeze Day of Action on 3 December.
Homes for All invited housing groups and trade unions to a Round Table to talk about what we could all do next. We were joined by representatives from Defend Council Housing, Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC), Grenfell Community Campaigners, UNISON, the New Economics Foundation (NEF), UNITE Community, Action on Empty Homes, Fuel Poverty Action, University of Manchester Rent Strike, Southwark Group of Tenants Organisations (SGTO), Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), NASUWT, Deputy Leader of Islington Council, Labour Campaign for Council Housing and others.
The group agreed to call a Day of Action on 11 February 2023 to demand a rent freeze and call attention to associated housing issues such as poor conditions, mould, reduced services and fire safety. A letter has been written to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to demand that the government fund a rent and service charge freeze.
This demand builds on the example from Scotland where the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) Act was passed on October 2022, freezing rent until March 2023, with regulations allowing an extension until March 2024. This is a fantastic win for Living Rent Scotland, shows the impact of political pressure from the housing movement and also how the Labour Party, who proposed the policy, can support a 0% rent rise. We also welcome Sadiq Khan’s call for a rent freeze for private renters and a rent rebate for social housing which in effect is a rent freeze.
Facebook event: London Demonstration- please share
Download the Rent Freeze Day of Action Leaflet and template local leaflet here
There will be a Tweet storm on Tuesday 24 January (9am -11am) to build for the Day of Action. If you would like to take part in the Tweet storm and be sent Twitter assets please email southwarkdch@gmail.com
Use these hashtags: #RentFreezeNow #ServiceChargeFreeze #StopEvictions #FundRepairs
Contact us to support the rent freeze, join the Day of Action on Saturday 11 February 2023 in London or to organise in your own area infohfanew1@gmail.com