22 June 2020 — London Renters Union
Check out and share our new campaign video featuring Lowkey
We’ve just launched a new video for our Can’t Pay Won’t Pay campaign. Check it out and share it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Get Active in the LRU – Online training July 1 & July 18
If you’ve joined as a member recently and want to get stuck in, or if you’ve been involved for a little while and want to know more about how the LRU works, this training is for you!
These are a chance to meet other members, learn more about LRU strategy ��, share our skills ��️, knowledge ���� ��, & ideas��to build our community of renters that support each other and organise to transform the housing system!
Find out more and register for the training here.
Can’t Pay Won’t Pay campaign – briefing 3
We’ve launched our Can’t Pay Won’t Pay campaign!
The Can’t Pay Won’t Pay campaign is bringing together all renters, especially people who are already in debt to their landlord and people who need to keep some of their rent so they can prioritise food and other essentials.
Together we can support each other to stay safe and force the government to ban evictions and cancel rent debt.
We’re very proud of the campaign launch. More than 10,000 people visited our campaign website in the first weekend. There are now more than 3,500 people signed up to the campaign.
We’ve now relaunched the CantPayWontPay.uk website as an anti-evictions tool where renters can find out about their rights, sign up to support our eviction resistance network and come together with other renters.
Hundreds of renters from across the city came to online Can’t Pay Won’t Pay action meetings to learn about their rights and discuss the next steps for the campaign.
This fantastic start is thanks to the brilliant work we’ve done together.
Eviction ban extended – Next steps for the campaign
Thanks to pressure from the London Renters Union’s Can’t Pay Won’t Pay campaign and from other renter organisations, the government has extended the eviction ban by a further two months. But unless the government makes the eviction ban permanent and cancels the debt that many of us are in because of Coronavirus, tens of thousands of us could lose our homes.
We’re currently trying to get as many renters together as possible – especially people who are struggling with their rent.
Currently the campaign is focusing on building the collective strength of those who can’t pay their rent, or who can only pay by cutting back on essentials. If this is the position you’re in, please make sure you’re signed up via the campaign website, where you can find lots of information about your rights and useful steps we can take together.
If you can pay, the best way for you to participate is to get involved with the campaign and join our upcoming eviction resistance training – see the steps below.
So for the coming few weeks, our Can’t Pay Won’t Pay campaign will be focusing on:
- Bringing together renters who are in rent debt or struggling with their rent so we can support each other.
- Speaking out and taking action to pressure the government to meet our campaign demands, including making the eviction ban permanent, cancelling rent debt and an end to borders in housing.
- Building a city-wide network of renters ready to prevent and resist evictions.
- Reaching as many renters as we can through local organising in branches and groups.
We can win, but we need you to get involved
- Join the campaign
Have you joined the campaign? Are you in debt to your Landlord? Struggling to pay your rent? About to be evicted? Want to stand in solidarity with other renters?
The Can’t Pay Won’t Pay campaign is for you!
- Join the Day of Action on June 27
On 27 June, renters across London will join together in dropping banners, putting up posters, get together for small, socially distanced protests and more! If you live in an area where there is an LRU branch or group (Lewisham, Newham and Leytonstone, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, and Camden) you will get more information soon on what your local group or branch is doing.
If you live in an area where there isn’t a branch, come along to the online organising meeting this coming Tuesday evening to help plan for the Day of Action. More details here.
Register for Tuesday’s online organising meeting
- Share the CantPayWontPay.uk website
As we’ve relaunching the website with tools to support people who are in rent debt and to prevent and resist evictions, we want as many people as possible to see it. You can support the campaign by sharing the link on social media, and in messages to friends, family, neighbours and colleagues.
- Make banners or print posters to hang from your windows.
Anyone can do this! We want as many signs up in our city to make sure our message is heard: there are tens of thousands of people who Can’t Pay their rent right now, and renters Won’t Pay for this crisis! Take a picture and share it on social media, using the hashtag #CantPayWontPay.
- Help your LRU branch or group with outreach
If you live in or near a branch area, help make sure we’re reaching as many renters who’ve been impacted by the Coronavirus rent crisis as possible. Our branches will be out this week putting flyers through people’s doors and putting up posters in a socially distanced way. We’re also reaching out to local organisations.
We currently have branches in Hackney, Lewisham and Newham & Leytonstone, and smaller groups in Tower Hamlets and Camden.
If you don’t live in one of these areas and want some flyers and posters, send us an email at hello@londonrentersunion.org.
- Publicly call on your local MP to support our campaign.
In the week before the government strengthened the evictions ban, the LRU got several MPs to ask questions of the government in parliament. Building pressure via MPs works! Use our online tool to write to your MP here.
We’re excited to see you there!
In friendship and solidarity,
Rachel and Michael
London Renters Union
The New Dark Age 