No-fault evictions are leaving families without a home

• Thirza Asanga-Rae spoke to The NQ about poor housing conditions in Moss Side
• There has been a 32% increase in no-fault evictions in England
• GMTU have concerns about the negative impacts of Airbnb’s on family homes

Greater Manchester Tenants Union is fighting on behalf of Moss Side to gain back control and put a stop to poor housing conditions.

The union began their operation in 2017 after an increase in concerns around unaffordable housing and evictions.

Moss Side residents are facing problems with relations and trust between them and housing providers.

Thirza Asanga-Rae is an organiser for the union and spoke to The NQ about their plans to tackle the issue.

She claimed that “absolutely nothing” is being done to enable affordable housing in Moss Side.

In her view, the council is “setting families up to potentially fail”.

Greater Manchester Tenants Union

The council provides residents with funding on the basis that their household income will increase.

Thirza believes this “is not a sure way to house or rehousing families as a solution”.

Because of this, GMTU are campaigning around no-fault evictions and rent increases.

They plan to do this by holding landlords accountable and educating tenants around their housing rights.

GMTU hold ‘know your rights’ sessions at the Millenium Powerhouse every second Sunday of the month to help residents stand up for themselves.

The NQ asked Thirza how they plan to stop no fault evictions and she said “in a nutshell change the law to not allow such practice to be abused”.

She said: “This will be achieved through lobbying and campaigns that highlight the impact of no-fault evictions and how this impacts the wider housing crisis”.

Ongoing concerns

GMTU is looking for solutions to solve the issue of Airbnb’s replacing family homes and locking out permanent housing for the community.

In February, a new UK law stated that owners of Airbnb have to gain planning permission to rent a property for more than 90 days.

Michaal Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up Housing and Communities said: “This will allow local communities to take back control and strike the right balance between protecting the visitor economy and ensuring local people get the homes they need”.

This is why GMTU are taking action and more information can be found here.