Skip to main content
Rent campaigners block bailiffs from evicting disabled man from home

LONDON Renters Union (LRU) campaigners prevented bailiffs from evicting a woman and her disabled husband from their home in Ilford today as they took a stand against Section 21 no-fault evictions.

Around 50 activists picketed multiple entrances to their block of flats in east London for over seven hours, ensuring that no bailiffs or police could enter the building.

Zubaida and her husband, who never missed a rent payment, only found out about the planned eviction two weeks ago, the union said.

The couple were caught in legal limbo after their landlord cut ties with the intermediary agency they rented from, leaving them unprotected.

The protest has bought the residents vital time to appeal against their eviction.

The case comes amid a surge in Section 21 repossessions, as landlords rush to push them through before the legislation is repealed later this year by the Renters’ Rights Bill.

The LRU warned that landlords would continue to force tenants out through sharp rises in rent even after no-fault evictions are banned.

Zubaida described their landlord’s action as “completely unfair,” adding: “This eviction has had an enormous impact on me and my husband’s physical and mental health.”

Her husband recently fell and developed a serious infection but has been unable to rest due to the stress of facing homelessness, she said.

Linda Burnip of Disabled People Against Cuts said that a lack of social housing means that disabled people forced into homelessness often spend months in hotels, unsuitable hostels or care homes.

“Due to the additional housing needs disabled people often have, such as an extra bedroom for a care worker or disabled child, very little private-sector housing is affordable” due to the [insufficient] levels of local housing allowance,” she warned.

The LRU called for urgent government intervention on soaring rents. 

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You can read five articles for free every month,
but please consider supporting us by becoming a subscriber.
More from this author
Campaigners, including many who are personally infected and
Infected Blood Inquiry / 19 May 2025
19 May 2025
Similar stories
TENANTS’ RIGHTS: Ceren Sagir (right) talks to Joe Beswick
Features / 1 April 2025
1 April 2025
JOE BESWICK of the London Renters Union talks to the Morning Star’s new Left on Record programme
Features / 30 July 2024
30 July 2024
What’s needed are more truly accessible homes, radical reform of the private sector to protect disabled tenants, and a less myopic view of the housing market focused on ‘homeowners,’ argues RUTH HUNT