The London borough of Haringey is setting up a renters’ forum, connecting tenants with council officers, community groups, and tenants’ rights organisations to share advice and support on how to protect each other from bad landlords.

The council says many renters in Haringey are struggling with landlords who ignore requests for repairs, charge extortionate rates of rent and fail to meet several other responsibilities. This new forum is being introduced as a counterpart to the longstanding landlords’ forum to give renters a voice and the opportunity to guide the council’s work.

It comes as London Mayor Sadiq Khan is looking for groups to share his new £400,000 Renters’ Rights Enforcement Fund which aims to empower tenants to understand and use their new rights under the Renters’ Rights Act.

Haringey councillor Tammy Hymas, co-deputy leader and cabinet member for housing (pictured above), says: “For too long private renters in our borough have felt powerless when things go wrong, whether that's dealing with poor conditions or unaffordable rent hikes. The forum will help us to identify the challenges facing renters and take action on landlords who are making significant profits but failing their tenants.”

Identify

Backed by Haringey Advice Partnership and Justice for Tenants, the forum will identify common problems with rented homes in Haringey, help officers strenghten enforcement against landlords by sharing insights and experiences and drive up awareness of the renters’ rights and regulations. It will also involve residents in council decisions locally and in national campaigns.

Many councils have tenant panels for their own council housing or PRS forums often aimed at landlords and letting agents but it’s much less common to have a dedicated forum for private renters.

Consulted

It’s not clear whether Haringey tenants will be consulted on licensing and enforcement policy, or be expected to feed intelligence on individual landlords. The council did not respond to a request from LandlordZONE for more information.

Sadiq Khan wants groups with experience in providing advice, support or advocacy for private renters to apply for his new fund. Up to two organisations will get the bulk of the funding for work aimed at helping tenants understand their rights, challenging rogue landlords, and securing justice over three years, with the remaining cash spent on training London borough enforcement officers.

“The Renters’ Rights Act is a game changer for tenants. It gives millions of renters’ stronger rights and greater security,” says Khan. “But those rights will only make a difference if people know about them, can use them and have somewhere to go for help.”

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