Demonstrators protested inside an agency – by playing Monopoly.
The protestors, members of renters’ union Acorn, went into Property Plus, in Hove, to demand that a Section 21 notice be rescinded.
Property Plus said that the demonstrators were behaving like “playground bullies” while Acorn said it was defending its members against ‘no fault evictions’.
Acorn live-streamed its members going into the branch, showing the moment that the two sides exchanged words in what the local paper describes as a fiery verbal contribution.
Acorn claimed that the Section 21 notice was contributing to the homeless crisis.
However, the agent said that it had simply been ordered by the landlord who wanted his property back.
Speaking to the local press, a spokesperson for Property Plus said: “We are really, really hurt. Devastated really.
“We gave the tenant as much notice as possible and even offered to help find him accommodation.
They came in together and started filming. It reminds me of school – playground bullies who go around in gangs.”
An Acorn spokesman said: “Our member is facing a no fault eviction which will mean that he will lose his home.
“As a union we are committed to defending our members when they are served with no fault eviction notices and have campaigned for Section 21 to be abolished.
“Our actions are a measured response to Property Plus who are evicting somebody from their home.
“During our visit we played a short game of Monopoly whilst waiting for them to resolve the issue.
“We thought it would be funny to play a game which involves buying properties and exploiting renters whilst in a lettings agents.”
Comments on The Argus story show comments mostly in support of the agents, with one saying: “Disgusting that Acorn think it’s okay to bully and harass people in their workplace.”
Another post described Acorn as “serial protestors who would serve the common good rather better by actively seeking employment and making a tangible contribution to society”.
A third said that playing Monopoly demonstrated Acorn’s “maturity of approach as there’s nothing funny about trying to intimidate people”.
Another called them “work-shy anarchists” and praised the agency’s staff for handling “this mob with dignity and knowledge of the law”.
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/18213664.acorn-union-storm-property-plus-play-monopoly/
Comments (13)
I’ve just been and read some of the reviews, and I have come to the following conclusion.
Acorn are stating that the property is in disrepair and that the Tenant has been hospitalised due to the condition of the flat, and that Property Plus have failed in their duty to maintain the property. IF this is true, then whilst it is the Agent’s job to report the issues to the Landlord, they cannot authorise work without his agreement, as that is basically theft. They would be ‘stealing’ his rent and using it to get work done. AKA taking without consent.
So, the Landlord refuses to get the work done. Therefore there are 3 options. 1) Do nothing. Allow the Tenant to stay in an unfit property. 2) Dis-instruct the Landlord and risk him (with the Tenant) managing it himself or going to an Agent with little to no morals. 3) convince the Landlord to serve notice so that the Tenant can find suitable and safe accommodation, THEN boot the Landlord out the door, potentially alerting the council/environmental health when it is re-advertised to let elsewhere to stop it happening again.
Or there is always the chance that this is all made up to get headlines and bash the agent. I don’t know.
In the newspaper coverage of this it mentions the tenant allegedly complaining of high levels of ‘smoke’ entering the property. Sounds completely bizarre and worthy of investigation.
Pond life turned into plant life. Acorn clearly out of their tree. Perhaps use of a fire extinguisher would have cooled their fire!
Didn’t there used to be an offence of ‘incitement to a breach of the peace’? I wonder if it still exists.
Awful bullying tactics.
It is sad that “Rent-a-Mob” thinks that it can disrupt legitimate business activity in a criminal manner .
All they will achieve is to cause more landlords to leave an already dhrinking housing market.
SHAME ON THEM.
Dave Absalom
What a desperate bunch .. when did these people forget along the line it’s the landlords property ?.. if they put as much time in at the job centre they might get themselves a job and not be tenants
Awful people ruining people’s livelihoods – take a look at their google page now and it’s been inundated with fake 1* reviews by these anarchists even stooping so low as to accuse male members of staff of assault! Disgusting and unfair behaviour, the majority of their reviews before were 5*… maybe some of us eye members can help even things up?
“… maybe some of us eye members can help even things up?”
Nowt like fighting wrong with wrong…
These idiots’ behaviour is appalling – that is a given. But the act of falsifying reviews to “even things up” will end badly for an Agent who has already suffered.
Google must act here on the evidence available. Don’t give them more.
Google won’t help with false reviews .. tried this their customer services just send a pre printed response basically go away we won’t change reviews
What absolutely appalling behaviour…I suspect that not a single one of these children of ‘champagne socialists’, has the slightest idea of the stress caused to others by attempting to interfere with an individual’s/organisation’s ability to exercise their right to generate and maintain income.
In my view this matter should have been dealt with as “Breach of the Peace” and/or trespassing. Whilst I wish no-one to fall victim to such disgusting behaviour…I hope that one day, the members of this ‘union’ experience the same stress and anguish they have caused a business (and possibly a Landlord), in order that they may seriously readjust their puerile view of the world.
If the Tenant they are defending has been looking after the property, paying rent and being a respectful inhabitant…there should be no risk of “homelessness”.
If on the other hand, this Tenant has not fulfilled his obligations under the terms of the Tenancy, then perhaps he/she should have. In which case, “Acorn” is essentially protesting against a Landlord’s right to not be financially and psychologically distressed…which is disgraceful…
Rant over… Have a lovely day everyone!
Exactly. Whilst I have sympathy for the man having to move house, if the Agent has truly tried to help him find another property and he has been looking after it then there should be no issues.
I would be curious to know why the Landlord wanted it back though. Even though S21 is ‘no fault’ we all know that there is a reason… Maybe he wanted to sell, there were complaints from neighbours or a series of bad inspections. Maybe the Landlord had been renting it at below market value for a while, and the Tenant did not agree to the rent increase so the Landlord wants to get someone paying the going rate?
Overall, it doesn’t make a difference. A legally binding notice was served, in accordance with the law, by the legal owner of the property and his legal representative. Can you see the recurring theme? Protesters, do one. If you are that upset, club together and buy a house to rent to him.
Well done to the team at property plus in controlling themselves. If they had come to one of my offices they would be needing a medical procedure to remove the mobile phone.