As you may have seen reported in the national press, all the residents of Vive Living 82-84 Childers Street were issued with a mass eviction notice by their landlord, Aitch Group. I know that you will share my anger and concern at this situation that has left 150 people scrambling to find alternative accommodation, in an already heavily saturated rental market, just weeks before Christmas.

Many of these residents have lived in their homes for years whilst others moved in just three weeks ago. All have been told they must leave, the first as soon as February. As with all Section 21 evictions, the landlord does not have to provide a reason, but residents have been told these evictions are to facilitate a ‘refurbishment’ of the building. There have been no planning applications submitted and no reports of any serious building defects have been made.

I am glad that this government has now introduced legislation to stop Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions but in the meantime, the residents of 82-84 Childers Street have been left with very little recourse available to them.

I am working closely with the Council to support these residents and we have written to the landlords twice to ask for an urgent meeting. So far, they have refused to meet with us.  You can see our letters below.

Dear Aitch Group Directors,

We are writing today to share our concern at your mass issuing of Section 21 eviction notices to residents at 82-84 Childers Street in Deptford. We are dismayed that you have chosen to abruptly issue these notices three weeks before Christmas – a time when many of your 150+ tenants were hoping for some rest and relaxation.

As their local representatives, we have been meeting with residents, some of whom moved into Childers Street just three weeks ago. Dozens tell us they have been requesting new
tenancy agreements for months but have been ignored. It is clear to us that this was done to ensure residents were left on rolling agreements when their S21 was served.

This is not a fair or respectful way to treat people who you are asking to leave properties which, in many cases, have been their homes for several years.

We are pleased that the new government has introduced legislation to scrap Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions. We look forward to a time when evictions like these, which leave tenants with little to no recourse against eviction, are rightfully banned.

In the meantime, we and your residents remain unclear about the reason for eviction. No residents have reported serious building defects and no planning applications to make
substantial changes to the building have been submitted to Lewisham Council. Your letter to residents makes a vague reference to ‘refurbishment’, but it seems unlikely the block would require enough work to necessitate a full decant.

The private rental market in the North of Lewisham is overburdened, unaffordable and difficult to navigate at the best of times. Now, in a usually quiet period, you risk flooding the market with newly evicted tenants. We are extremely concerned at the possibility of there being too few homes for the people you plan to make homeless.

We are asking to meet with you as soon as possible. Together, we wish to address issues raised by your residents. We also ask that you engage with residents who are campaigning to stay in their homes, who will be writing to you separately.

Best wishes,

Cllr Will Cooper – Cabinet member for Better Homes, Neighbourhoods and Homelessness
Vicky Foxcroft MP – Member of Parliament for Lewisham North
Cllr Stephen Penfold – Chair of Lewisham’s Housing Scrutiny Committee
Cllr Rosie Parry – Cllr for Deptford ward and Cabinet Adviser on the Private Rented Sector
Cllr Dawn Atkinson – Cllr for Deptford Ward
Cllr David Walker – Cllr for Deptford War

Dear Aitch Group,

We are incredibly disappointed with your 13th December response to our joint letter.

You decline to meet with us, the locally-elected representatives of your residents at 82-84 Childers Street. You also fail to share why a decant of the whole building is necessary. This omission does nothing to reassure us that you intend for the building to remain as vital local housing, or convince us that you are ending the tenancies of 83 households for any legitimate and current reason.

You say you are engaging constructively with residents, but have to date offered nothing but the legally required two months’ notice and return of deposits. In your letter, you claim to be “offering support” for residents to move on, but residents tell us this has not happened and communication is not forthcoming.

By operating at such scale, you have taken on a responsibility — not just to your own bottom line, but to the people whose homes you provide and manage. You may not have much interest in honouring this responsibility, but we are committed to advocating for our residents.

To reiterate, we wish to meet with you as soon as possible to constructively clarify these issues and offer the support that all residents deserve.

We hope to hear from you soon,

Yours sincerely,

Vicky Foxcroft MP, Member of Parliament for Lewisham North
Cllr Will Cooper, Cabinet Member for Better Homes, Neighbourhoods and
Homelessness
Cllr Stephen Penfold, Chair of Lewisham’s Housing Scrutiny Committee
Cllr Rosie Parry, Cllr for Deptford Ward and Cabinet Adviser on the Private
Rented Sector
Cllr Dawn Atkinson, Cllr for Deptford Ward
Cllr David Walker, Cllr for Deptford Ward