Bridgeton members are celebrating their recent win against Touchstone property managers!
Tenants in these midmarket blocks were having their rent put up to £900 a month. This was despite a flood in the building which caused damage to people’s homes and belongings. Touchstone failed to make repairs, and the lift was out of order for months. Keira, a top floor tenant who was trapped in her home due to the lift being out of order, joined the union and decided to take on her landlord.
Other tenants in the blocks were Living Rent members already, and many more joined the union to build the power needed to stand up to Touchstone. As we kept knocking doors we found more and more problems with these blocks, and angry tenants ready to take action. Members organised, came together to decide on collective demands, planned direct actions, and rallied outside the blocks to confront director Chris Blair when he finally agreed to visit.
Since then, tenants received compensation and issues in the flats have been fixed! Keira and her flatmate received £1,080 compensation, and others affected by the flood received between £800 and £500
This isn’t because landlords suddenly decide to do the right thing — it’s because collective action can create pressure that individual complaints often don’t.
