Kevin Allen

Kevin’s interest in housing originated when I worked as a constituency caseworker for a Member of Parliament. He went on from there to become a housing advice worker for a Shelter Housing Advice Centre covering North Yorkshire and the City of York. Kevin also founded a private tenant group in his home town of Scarborough and secured a contract with the local authority to deliver a homelessness project which would go on to be a founding member of NPTO. HE worked for over 30 years as a civil servant for GCHQ, during that time he served on a national sustainable development consultation group, developed departmental health and safety polices and was an active trade union rep. Currently Kevin is self-employed as a CIEH accredited health and safety trainer and advisor and specialise in electrical safety and inspection.

Robert Carver

Currenly Rob is a freelance consultant, writer and researcher, with interests in the housing market (naturally), quantitative finance and the investment industry. My last professional role was at AHL, a quantitative hedge fund for over 7 years; for the last 3 years I managed the team running a $5bn fixed income portfolio. Before that I worked for CEPR, an economics think tank, as a research manager; and as an exotic derivatives trader for Barclays Capital. I spent my early career in the middle east mainly working as a government trade consultant but also co-founding a sports coaching business.

I have a Bsc from Manchester and an Msc from Birkbeck London, both in Economics.

Jacky Peacock

Jacky Peacock has been employed by Brent Private Tenants’ Rights Group since it was established in 1986 and has overseen its development from a tenant engagement organisation to the only organisation in the country dedicated to providing specialist legal advice and support services for private tenants. She was awarded an OBE in 2001 for services to private tenants

Ian Mulheirn

Ian Mulheirn is the Director of Consulting of Oxford Economics. He was previously Director of the Social Market Foundation, leading it to win the Prospect Magazine UK Think Tank of the Year award in 2012, and before that an economist at HM Treasury. In 2016 Ian sat on the panel of the Redfern Review into the decline of home ownership.

Bernard Collier

Bernard runs a Business Improvement District in the centre of London, and is a councillor in the London Borough of Brent. He became interested in Generation Rent and the idea of campaigning for private renters after canvassing in his local area. Most people in his ward rent, 48% from private landlords. Many seem powerless to change what are often poor living conditions, it affects their mental and physical wellbeing. He wants to change that and thinks a local solution is not the answer.

Robbie de Santos

Robbie de Santos is Head of Campaigns at the LGBT equality charity Stonewall, where he leads on high profile public attitude campaigns and developing a social movement of equality campaigners. Robbie has a decade of experience in campaigning, including three years leading Shelter’s policy work on private renting and developing the campaigns function at the UK’s leading debt charity StepChange.

Met appeal to trace bogus landlord

At least six renters in London have been ripped off to the tune of £30,000 since April by a fraudster posing as a landlord.

The Met Police have issued an alert today for information to catch the suspect, pictured below, and have asked members of the public to call 101 and quote reference 1217609/15.

The London estate being torn apart by evictions

If ever there was a case for the reform of private renters’ rights it’s this.

Residents of Dorchester Court in Herne Hill all rent from the same landlord, Manaquel Ltd. In recent years, the company has tried putting up the rent by 30% in many cases – some of the residents managed to negotiate a lower increase, but are still paying much more than before.

This year, instead of having their tenancy renewed, the landlord has been issuing them with section 21 eviction notices – giving the tenant 2 months to leave – without giving them a reason or any option to stay.

Image from Brixton Buzz

[photo: Brixton Buzz]

A Renters Union?

When we launched Vote Homes we called on the candidates to take action on rents, housebuilding, security and conditions.

But we also asked for something a bit more fundamental: for the next Mayor to commit to meeting regularly with renters groups.

Looking for some help and can't find the answer ?

Let us know using the form below, and we’ll try to find out

Individual Advice

Generation Rent can’t offer advice about individual problems. Here are a few organisations that can:

You might also find quick but informal help on ACORN’s Facebook forum, and there are more suggestions on The Renters Guide.