Leeds renters urged to 'demand change' as Acorn union presses Leeds council for tougher action on slum landlords

Leeds renters are being invited to share their personal accounts of skyrocketing rents and dodgy landlords at a public meeting later this month.
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The community-based union Acorn Leeds says it has heard many stories from people who pay over the odds for poor quality housing and find their concerns ignored.

It has invited members of Leeds City Council’s executive board to hear first hand from renters in the city when a public meeting takes place on Wednesday August 24.

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In a statement, Acorn Leeds said: “Almost every person we talk to who has any experience of renting has a bad story to share, too often these experiences go unheard and the issues renters deal with on a daily basis go unresolved.

Members of the community-based union Acorn Leeds have previously staged protests calling for further legislation to protect renters.Members of the community-based union Acorn Leeds have previously staged protests calling for further legislation to protect renters.
Members of the community-based union Acorn Leeds have previously staged protests calling for further legislation to protect renters.

"With the increasing impact of the cost of living crisis, the Renters’ Forum is an opportunity for normal working people of Leeds to have their voices heard and demand change – and for Leeds city council to meaningfully demonstrate that they are paying attention."

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The event is part of the Acorn Leeds campaign to ban slum landlords through the expansion of the existing selective landlord licensing (SLL) scheme to more areas of the city.

The scheme gives local authorities the powers to introduce standards on the condition of the properties in the private rental sector and allows them to enforce and prosecute those landlords who fall below basic standards.

Those wishing to take part in the Renters’ Forum are invited to Denison Hall in Town Street, Armley, on Wednesday August 24 at 7pm.