End Landlord extortionism, drop the rents now!

national | housing | press release Sunday May 13, 2012 18:54 by RNU PRO - Republican Network for Unity (RNU)

Republican Network for Unity (RNU) notes with increasing concern, the growing practice of what can only be described as extortionism, being carried out by private landlords within working class nationalist areas and beyond.

When observing average rents, it is clear that private landlords here are exploiting historical housing shortages in order to demand amounts well above what is provided by housing benefit.

Republican Network for Unity (RNU) notes with increasing concern, the growing practice of what can only be described as extortionism, being carried out by private landlords within working class nationalist areas and beyond.

When observing average rents, it is clear that private landlords here are exploiting historical housing shortages in order to demand amounts well above what is provided by housing benefit.

These opportunist surcharges are imposed on the understanding that people will dip into their weekly benefits in order to subsidise the profits of private landlords, most of whom live outside of the communities they are exploiting and are unconcerned about the suffering they are creating in return.

Many working class areas are now suffering chronic levels of child poverty of over 60% with an alarming number of schools reporting that children are arriving to class in the morning hungry.

RNU do not believe it is a coincidence that these reports are emerging from the same communities in which landlords are asking unemployed families to dip into benefits which are provided to meet their daily living costs.

In 2012 it is no less than a national disgrace, that it has become culture for a privileged few to come into working class areas, buy off what were once social houses making worse the housing shortage of an already discriminated against community then attempt to cream a profit using the crass rules of a ‘free market’ economy on a homeless population.

We reiterate that housing is a right not a priviliage, and that it is intolerable that working class families (already being penalised by cuts to welfare) can be further plunged into despair and want by this most heartless of practices.

RNU intends in the coming months to launch an effective and if needs be militant campaign aimed at ending this practice of landlord extortionism.

Levels of housing benefit provided to individuals and families reflect the amount which the state believes is a reasonable amount to secure accommodation, we intend to create an environment wherein local landlords too are forced to accept that amount and no more, in the tradition of human rights and the right of a person to secure a roof over their head.