Residents fight Housing Association over 20pc rent increase
Residents in Shaw, Oldham, are fighting a 20% rent increase imposed by their housing association, Places for People Homes Limited, which they claim could leave them homeless. Many elderly and vulnerable tenants, who believed they were social housing tenants, are now being told they are private renters, putting their financial stability and homes at risk. Legal challenges and community mobilization are underway to contest the increase.
Shaw tenants face homelessness as housing association demands 20% rent hike
Norma Heywood’s strawberry plants are beginning to flower in the garden she’s tended for nearly two decades, but the 70-something pensioner fears she may never see them bear fruit. Her landlord, Places for People Homes Limited, has demanded a 20% rent increase - an extra £180 monthly that she and her husband John simply cannot afford.
“We just can’t afford it. We could end up homeless. I feel gutted, just gutted,” Norma said, fighting back tears during an interview at a neighbour’s home. Her husband John, a former serviceman now battling bowel cancer and kidney disease, requires constant care. “I don’t know how a move would affect John. It could kill him.”
The Heywoods are among more than 30 households on Gilderdale Close and Napier Street facing the sudden rent hike after Places for People claimed their homes were “always private” rentals, despite decades of residents believing they held secure social housing tenancies. Many residents showed copies of their assured tenancies - contracts meant to guarantee homes for life to vulnerable tenants - and explained they had transferred from council properties through house swaps.
Pauline Mason, 73, who moved to Gilderdale Close 22 years ago from a council house, hasn’t eaten properly since receiving the February letter announcing the increase. “I saw it and I went to bed. I’ve mostly slept, I just don’t want to face the world,” said the pensioner, whose paralyzed hands require disability benefits to help with rent. “They’re saying we’re private tenants? That would mean I have to pay £500 out of my pension. It’s a lot of money. How do I buy food, and electric, and gas?”
The shock has rippled through the close-knit community. Susan Sutton, who moved into her home when the properties were completed in 1993, spends every moment worrying. Living with multiple life-threatening illnesses, she’s carefully saved for years to prevent her family inheriting funeral debt. “When I leave here, I want to leave in a wooden box. I can’t start all over again. I can’t afford to.”
Places for People maintains the homes were “always let at market rent” and claims there’s “no limit or restriction on the ability of PfP to increase rent” under current tenancy terms. However, solicitor Oliver Edwards from Greater Manchester Law Centre has issued a Judicial Review threat letter, arguing the increase violates regulations limiting social housing rent rises to 2.7%.
Oldham Council has mobilized to support residents, with housing cabinet leader Elaine Taylor calling the situation “reckless and immoral” and warning that homelessness could cost taxpayers significantly in temporary accommodation. The Tenants Union has condemned what they call an attempt to “privatise social housing” and override assured tenancy rights.
While legal battles loom, residents like Norma cling to their gardens and memories. She’s built a memorial bench for her recently deceased daughter, where strawberry plants grow for surviving grandchildren. “The apartment blocks where they put you if you’re homeless, I’m not sure they even have gardens, do they?” she asked quietly.
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