Rain, snow and sleet couldn’t stop London ACORN’s March for Maintenance to fight for Landlord Licensing!

Over a dozen ACORN members braved the cold and wet snow to call on the City to take action against slumlords in London! To start the action, Central and Surrounding Chair Claire Wittnebel and Secretary Farrah Sherrard reviewed the route for the march from Victoria Park to City Hall, and gave everyone a refresher on our favorite ACORN chants! Members then formed a group and began the march, all smiles despite the cold, and chanted for healthy homes, landlord licensing, and people power!

Once we arrived at City Hall, Carling-Stoneybrook Chair Jordan Smith walked everyone through the process of what tenants are going through when they have repairs or pest treatments ignored by their landlord – “You have to launch your own investigation, gather evidence, all the onus is on you to become your own lawyer to fight for basic pest management – from the landlord you’re paying thousands of dollars of rent to each year!” Jordan then explained the basic structure of what a strong landlord licensing policy would look like:
Landlords would pay an annual, per-unit fee to cover the costs of the program
The City would conduct regular, proactive inspections of buildings and units to ensure landlords are complying with maintenance standards (this takes the burden off tenants who fear retaliation from their landlord if they reported the issues!)

Buildings would be graded for the level of maintenance upkeep, and those evaluations would be publicly posted (so tenants know what they’re getting into when renting in a new building!)
The City would charge escalating fines to landlords who fail to address maintenance issues

To highlight why this policy is so urgently needed, ACORN members shared testimonies of their experiences living with chronic disrepair, pest infestations, and other issues caused by landlords neglecting maintenance in their buildings. This is why we need landlords to be held accountable!

ACORN members finished the action by sharing some success stories from their battles against slumlords before gathering for a final group photo and chant: HEY HEY HO HO BAD LANDLORDS HAVE GOT TO GO!!!

Want to learn more about landlord licensing and connect with other tenants across the City facing similar landlord troubles? Join us on Thursday May 8th at 6:00PM at the London ACORN office for our Healthy Homes Forum!