Labour council evicts 200 private tenants amid housing crisis

More than 200 private tenants are being evicted by a Labour-run council to address its growing housing waiting list, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The council aims to rehouse families currently living in temporary accommodation, which costs the borough £28 million annually.

The local authority, which is grappling with a £70 million deficit, has more than 4,700 homeless families in ‘unsuitable and expensive’ temporary housing — 1,300 more than two years ago.

Homes for Lambeth, a council-owned private company, has been renting homes at market rates for nearly a decade.

However, Lambeth Council has reclassified these properties for temporary accommodation, issuing Section 21 notices to around 160 families.

The tenants argue the council is forcing them into homelessness.

Must vacate her home

Jules Zakolska, 27, has been campaigning against the council’s decision and has been told she must vacate her home by April.

She told the Telegraph: “The Labour party ran its campaign on the premise that it will abolish Section 21 evictions.

“Yet in Lambeth, a Labour council is serving its own residents with Section 21 notices.

“I am just very determined to try to fight this because it’s really unjust, unethical and doesn’t make sense logically or financially.”

She added: “We are the least well-off private renters in the borough, and lots of us have children and are classed as vulnerable.

“Once evicted, the majority of us will become homeless.”

Expensive temporary accommodation

A Lambeth spokesman told the newspaper: “The council has 4,745 homeless households in often unsuitable and expensive temporary accommodation.

“This is unacceptable and unsustainable, with the cost resulting in financial pressure impacting on all council services.

“We need to use all means at our disposal to provide the most disadvantaged and vulnerable families in Lambeth with a safe, decent home.”

They added: “We apologise for the impact this decision has on those renting these homes, but we now need to use these homes for those with [the] most urgent need for housing.”

Received Section 21 notices

Elsewhere in London, 150 residents at Vive Living in Deptford received Section 21 notices just before Christmas, including a cafe owner who lost both his home and livelihood.

These residents, like those in Lambeth, have struggled to find alternative accommodation in a competitive rental market.

Lambeth’s Homelessness Prevention Team will conduct “priority needs assessments” for affected tenants and consider temporary housing until long-term solutions are found.

The borough’s social housing waiting list includes more than 40,000 households.

Repurposing 163 homes

In October, Lambeth proposed repurposing 163 homes on six estates for emergency accommodation.

So far, more than 60 homes have been returned to the council, with nine relet to homeless families.

The borough faces an unprecedented housing crisis, with 40,000 people on the waiting list and 4,700 homeless families in temporary accommodation.

When the scheme was announced, Coun Danny Adilypour, the council’s deputy leader, said: “We are committed to doing all we can to tackle the housing crisis.

“The supply of affordable housing for vulnerable and homeless families is under huge pressure.

“Bringing these privately rented homes back into use as council accommodation will deliver much-needed homes as quickly as possible for our most vulnerable residents in Lambeth.”

Lambeth is also accelerating efforts to bring empty council housing up to lettable standards – 381 empty properties have been identified, with 133 ready to be relet.