Union calls on council to offer more help to borough's renters

Residents have urged Newham Council to do more to support renters in the borough.

Newham members of the London Renters Union attended a regeneration and housing scrutiny commission meeting last week and held up placards which read 'side with renters'.

The union's Newham and Leytonstone branch has made a list of demands to the council.

These include improving temporary accommodation standards by "setting out minimum safety and quality standards" as well as taking enforcement action against landlords that refuse to meet these standards.

The union has also urged the council to "break contracts with temporary accommodation providers who are shown to consistently provide sub-par temporary accommodation".

It called for targets to be published to increase the number of fines and legal actions against landlords who deny tenants their rights.

Another demand was calling on Newham to commit to building enough council homes to house every person now in temporary accommodation.

The union also wants councils to "end the practise of forcing working class people to choose between leaving London or being declared ‘intentionally homeless’ and become at risk of street homelessness; support people who make homelessness applications to stay in their home borough, if they wish to; and ensure they are giving appropriate weight to invisible disabilities such as chronic mental health when making housing offers."

It also called for housing, as well as advice and support, to be made "as accessible as possible" to disabled tenants.

Newham Council did not respond to a request for comment.