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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/16/why-went-viral-after-talking-about-evicted-sky-news
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| Why I went viral on Twitter after talking about being evicted on Sky News | Why I went viral on Twitter after talking about being evicted on Sky News |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| On Tuesday I had the weird experience of going viral on Twitter after an altercation with a Sky News journalist. Following the government’s announced plans to scrap section 21 eviction notices, I was invited on to Sky News to talk about the time I was served such a notice in February. I made a complaint about the serious disrepair in the flat I have been renting with a friend since August. We now have to get out by the end of the this month. | On Tuesday I had the weird experience of going viral on Twitter after an altercation with a Sky News journalist. Following the government’s announced plans to scrap section 21 eviction notices, I was invited on to Sky News to talk about the time I was served such a notice in February. I made a complaint about the serious disrepair in the flat I have been renting with a friend since August. We now have to get out by the end of the this month. |
| As it stands, section 21 gives landlords huge power over our lives and discourages renters from making complaints or requesting repairs, for fear of section 21 revenge evictions. Since 2015, around 140,000 other tenants have been victims of revenge evictions making section 21 the leading cause of homelessness in England, displacing huge numbers of working people and migrants from their communities each year. | As it stands, section 21 gives landlords huge power over our lives and discourages renters from making complaints or requesting repairs, for fear of section 21 revenge evictions. Since 2015, around 140,000 other tenants have been victims of revenge evictions making section 21 the leading cause of homelessness in England, displacing huge numbers of working people and migrants from their communities each year. |
| Short-notice evictions face axe in tenant rights victory | Short-notice evictions face axe in tenant rights victory |
| I wanted to use the interview to talk about the very real emotional and economic toll that these evictions have had on me and other renters. | I wanted to use the interview to talk about the very real emotional and economic toll that these evictions have had on me and other renters. |
| I prepared what I wanted to say and, having been invited on, at least expected a chance to get my point across. The problem? The interviewer, Jayne Secker, who is a landlord, patronised me and demonstrated the contempt with which many landlords view renters. | I prepared what I wanted to say and, having been invited on, at least expected a chance to get my point across. The problem? The interviewer, Jayne Secker, who is a landlord, patronised me and demonstrated the contempt with which many landlords view renters. |
| As soon as I started explaining my situation, she interrupted to minimise the impact my housing situation is having on me: “Yeah, that’s just the housing market, isn’t it?” she said. She then went on to tell a bizarre story about tenants she’s rented to that don’t know how to change a lightbulband asked me: “Do you think you’ve found that you aren’t equipped with all the necessary skills to rent?” | As soon as I started explaining my situation, she interrupted to minimise the impact my housing situation is having on me: “Yeah, that’s just the housing market, isn’t it?” she said. She then went on to tell a bizarre story about tenants she’s rented to that don’t know how to change a lightbulband asked me: “Do you think you’ve found that you aren’t equipped with all the necessary skills to rent?” |
| The idea that I am somehow responsible for being evicted from my home because I don’t have the “necessary skills to rent” is deeply patronising | The idea that I am somehow responsible for being evicted from my home because I don’t have the “necessary skills to rent” is deeply patronising |
| What makes this painful is that, like many renters left in such a precarious position, since receiving the eviction notice I have experienced increased levels of stress and anxiety. I should know about the profound relationship between mental health and housing since I work for the charity Rethink Mental Illness; in fact, I can’t help but think how lucky I am that I am not experiencing more severe mental health issues because of the kind of damage sudden homelessness can cause. | What makes this painful is that, like many renters left in such a precarious position, since receiving the eviction notice I have experienced increased levels of stress and anxiety. I should know about the profound relationship between mental health and housing since I work for the charity Rethink Mental Illness; in fact, I can’t help but think how lucky I am that I am not experiencing more severe mental health issues because of the kind of damage sudden homelessness can cause. |
| Secker shone a light on the mainstream media’s poor representation of people from low-income backgrounds. | Secker shone a light on the mainstream media’s poor representation of people from low-income backgrounds. |
| To be fair, she has since sent me a gracious personal apology, which I am grateful for. I really hope that this saga will change her attitude towards renters (and, who knows, perhaps towards housing). | To be fair, she has since sent me a gracious personal apology, which I am grateful for. I really hope that this saga will change her attitude towards renters (and, who knows, perhaps towards housing). |
| But how on earth have we arrived at the situation where journalists are so detached from the struggles most working people face? For me, it brings home how divided we are by class and income. Across much of Tuesday’s media coverage of the rental market, the housing needs of low-income people are seen as secondary to the bank balances of those who are wealthy enough to own and rent out property. The rest of us are seen as second-class citizens. | But how on earth have we arrived at the situation where journalists are so detached from the struggles most working people face? For me, it brings home how divided we are by class and income. Across much of Tuesday’s media coverage of the rental market, the housing needs of low-income people are seen as secondary to the bank balances of those who are wealthy enough to own and rent out property. The rest of us are seen as second-class citizens. |
| Thankfully, renters are getting organised and turning their anger about the housing crisis and mistreatment by landlords into effective political action. | Thankfully, renters are getting organised and turning their anger about the housing crisis and mistreatment by landlords into effective political action. |
| Tuesday’s announcement by the government that it plans to scrap section 21 and introduce open-ended tenancies comes after relentless campaigning by a collation of renter unions and housing campaigns led by Generation Rent. They include Acorn, London Renters Union – which I belong to – Tenants Union UK and the New Economics Foundation. | Tuesday’s announcement by the government that it plans to scrap section 21 and introduce open-ended tenancies comes after relentless campaigning by a collation of renter unions and housing campaigns led by Generation Rent. They include Acorn, London Renters Union – which I belong to – Tenants Union UK and the New Economics Foundation. |
| The London Renters Union provided me with support at a recent branch meeting to stand up to the landlords and estate agents that exploit renters, by using direct-action protest tactics. | The London Renters Union provided me with support at a recent branch meeting to stand up to the landlords and estate agents that exploit renters, by using direct-action protest tactics. |
| ‘No-fault’ eviction of tenants must end. But beware unintended consequences | Simon Jenkins | ‘No-fault’ eviction of tenants must end. But beware unintended consequences | Simon Jenkins |
| It’s fantastic that the renters movement is rapidly growing, but there’s still a long way to go to resolve the inequalities at the centre of the housing crisis. | It’s fantastic that the renters movement is rapidly growing, but there’s still a long way to go to resolve the inequalities at the centre of the housing crisis. |
| We need real systemic change. Without rent controls, housing will remain unaffordable in London and much of the south-east, and landlords will still be able to force out tenants by raising the rent. As a result, the displacement of working people on low income and migrants who are forced to rent privately will continue. | We need real systemic change. Without rent controls, housing will remain unaffordable in London and much of the south-east, and landlords will still be able to force out tenants by raising the rent. As a result, the displacement of working people on low income and migrants who are forced to rent privately will continue. |
| My favourite response from landlords to Tuesday’s government announcement were the claims that they would sell up and no longer see property as a good investment. There aren’t enough clapping-hand emojis to express just how much I welcome this. The housing crisis is not caused by tenants who can’t fit lightbulbs or turn the heating on, as my interviewer implied. It’s caused by the greed of landlords, which is enabled by a rigged housing system and by Tory failure to invest in social and affordable housing. If landlords want to sell up then great – let’s bring privately rented homes back into public ownership so housing can become more accessible and affordable for the rest of us. | |
| • Kirsty Archer is a member of the London Renters Union. She works for a mental health charity and rents privately in south London. | • Kirsty Archer is a member of the London Renters Union. She works for a mental health charity and rents privately in south London. |
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