Richmond Council Leader 'deeply alarmed' by Section 21 notices issued at Garden Court

The Leader of Richmond Council has expressed deep alarm at the news that longstanding residents of Garden Court have been issued Section 21 eviction notices so their homes can be sold on with vacant possession – after it emerged the landlord served the notices so Westminster City Council can buy the homes.

Councillor Gareth Roberts said: "What is happening at Garden Court is simply wrong. However it is dressed up, the outcome is the same: people – many of them older, settled, and part of a close knit community – are being told to leave their homes because a property sale is going ahead. That is not how a decent housing system should operate.

"These are not empty units. They are people’s homes – homes people have invested in emotionally, socially, and financially for many years. To force individuals in their 70s and 80s to uproot their lives at short notice, in order to facilitate a transaction, shows a disturbing disregard for residents’ wellbeing.

Councillor Roberts continued: “We recognise that private landlords may make commercial decisions. But commercial decisions must never come at the expense of basic humanity. That is why we are urgently seeking immediate, senior level discussions with Westminster City Council to understand exactly what has taken place, why residents were put in this position, and what steps will now be taken to ensure they are properly supported.

"Our priority is, and will always remain, the people who live in our borough. We are determined to do everything within our power to stand up for Garden Court residents and to challenge any process that treats long-term tenants as an afterthought.

"No housing deal – whatever its purpose – should ever begin with the displacement of an entire community."