THE DISPATCH

RIP-OFF RENTS

These pensioners are taking on their landlord over surging service charges

In recent weeks we have detailed how tenants in social housing have been telling their landlords they’ve had enough by refusing to pay rip-off service charges or going on rent strike. Now one group in Oxford is showing that it’s not just a young person’s game.

Elderly residents from Harris Court and Drew House in the Summer-town area of the city have become the country’s oldest rent rebels. They are one month into a protest over rising charges, claiming some have increased up to eight times since April.

Oxford graduate and former sailor Michael Ryan, 79, is among the group who have joined forces with rent union Acorn to stand up to landlord Green-SquareAccord by paying the old rent and service charge instead.

Ryan told The Big Issue: “Green-SquareAccord is supposed to be a charitable organisation and this doesn’t look like charity to me in any way, shape or form. We think it’s a sort of backdoor way of increasing the rent. So the whole rent has gone up 16.5 per cent, which is a big jump for people who haven’t got much money.”

GreenSquareAccord told The Big Issue the service charge rises were the only “fair and ethical” way to pass on the increased costs of maintaining the property as the cost of living crisis bites.

But residents claim charging £8 a week for ‘intelligent electrics’ – which covers the electronic door system and fire alarms – when it was just £1