Improving homes in London
Improving homes in London
Across the capital thousands of Londoners are faced with unacceptable conditions in their homes. Damp and mould, vermin and broken windows are just some examples. Residents complain to landlords but nothing changes. In Lewisham teachers and GPs have declared a housing emergency. Meanwhile our leaky and draughty homes are wasting energy leading to unaffordable bills.
London Citizens is working to change that.
At the London Mayoral Assembly 2024 we asked Sadiq Khan to work with us to pilot repair and upgrade in locations in every borough. We want to be part of the work to ensure that homes are repaired properly as well as being insulated to make them warm and healthy.
For years, I have
struggled with
unrepaired housing that
is affecting my house
with mould, causing me
mental and emotional
breakdowns. There was
a time that that the air
was so full of mould
that it affected my
little son’s health and I
thought I was going to
lose him.
Students from King's College London (KCL)worked with primary schools across South London, discovering the impact inadequate housing is having on young people. Their Our Homes, Our Rights report shows how pupils mental and physical health suffer, including low self-esteem and self-worth.
They delivered this to the Deputy Mayor for Housing, Tom Copley, at an action outside City Hall in June 2024. Shouts of 'no more mould, fix our homes' rang out across London's docklands as the primary school children, KCL students and community groups demanded change:
1) Establish a statutory time limit for temporary accommodation
2) Increase access to affordable homes
3) Address urgent and immediate repairs
4) Increase regulation and accountability
We can’t adjust to
living like this, there
are electricity and
water problems, and
there are rats”
Our Homes, Our Rights report
This builds on our previous work ahead of the 2021 mayoral elections where we asked Sadiq Khan to upgrade 100,000 fuel poor homes and create 60,000 good, green jobs. We undertook a training and listening campaign in summer 2020 with over 400 leaders from 20 different organisations. They shared stories on how energy bill prices, mould and damp in their homes and their worries about their jobs and the economy have impacted them. From there, we workshopped ideas and policy options with experts. We took our top two policy priorities to the London Citizens delegate meeting in early 2021.