evictions across europe

7/24/2019 Evictions Across Europe

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EVICTION ACROSS EUROPE

I.

A brief analysis of the current causes of evictions in Europe

II.A few statistics or data to present the issue

III. Inspirational struggles

Introduction

This text has been written by members of the European Action Coalition for the

Right to Housing and the City, through consultation with member groups on the

different forms of eviction, the legislation that both governs and prevents them, and

the initiatives organising against them. The European Coalition is composed oftenants' movements, those in inadequate housing, victims of eviction, trade unionists,

those affected by debt, slum and self-built neighborhood dwellers, squatters,

campaigners and researchers. The European Coalition emerged in 2013 in order toadopt common positions on European housing policies, organise collective action

against processes of privatisation and exclusion, and to create solidarity bondsbetween movements, which would enable each to strengthen its own struggles. The

Coalition is a grass-roots convergence of movements in a European spaceincreasingly at the service of finance, securitisation, and deregulatory policies which

affect our fundamental rights, and drive us towards poverty and precariousness in alldimensions of our lives.

This text however, is not an analysis of the European housing market, nor a collectionof organisers' viewpoints on their action. It focuses on the forms that eviction takes,

in essence whois affected, and demonstrates the flimsiness of the barriers between

tenures as people fall through them towards ever-greater precarity. We start with a

brief statistical section to hold some of the information gathered, we allow for futureadditions to this body of work, both through greater detail and a longer time span. We

then come to the legislative mechanisms on national frameworks, and despite the

grim picture painted, we hope that this cross-pollinates between struggles andbecomes genuinely useful to activists demanding a variety of state concessions. We

end with some snapshots of these demands and the campaigns that have made them.

What this paper does not do is analyse the organising tactics used to preventevictions, or the strategies used by movements that won legislative protections in thepast. Though we hope groups will contribute papers on strategy to

www.housingnotprofit.org, we feel that the primary space for this work is in our

regular face-to-face meetings. This paper does not analyse the lack of security of

tenure in chronological terms, but in spatial ones across the continent. Neither is itfocussed on the mechanics of dispossession by landlords and the state, nor the


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geography of displacement. Many activist-researchers are doing this important work,

but we saw a need for analysis of the differences in forms of eviction across Europein relation to the housing stock, the legislative framework, and the shape of the

movement. We hope that this text contributes towards that goal.

I. A brief analysis of the current causes of evictions

in Europe

The causes of evictions are numerous and they vary. On reading the documents sent

by the activists of the European Coalition, besides other sources of information, we

can identify at least 10 different causes for evictions in Europe.

First finding : despite certain received ideas, owning your own property in

Europe does not necessarily lead to quality of life or help in avoiding evictions.

The housing market is generally composed of a rental sector, with both private and

public housing stock, and a privately owned sector,. Depending on the Europeancountry, situations vary dramatically. The following graph (EUROSTATS 2012) shows

the proportions of social renters, private renters and owners. Within the EuropeanUnion, one can see that the countries with a high percentage of owners are in part

situated in Central and Eastern Europe. Hungary Romania and Poland are oftenreferred to as offering very poor quality housing.


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Second finding: Privatisation of social housing is a significant factor

contributing to evictions

In Eastern Europe, this process unfolds through the phenomenon of privatisation of

housing during the collapse the communist bloc. In Romania, for instance, Post-1989 governments encouraged private ownership of houses through a decree

enabling longterm residents of state apartments to purchase them for the equivalentof little more than a month's salary. In these countries, a proportion of evictions is

directly linked to this phenomenon of privatisation:restitution of nationalisedhousing and an ensuing restitution mafia greatly complicate the housing problem.In 1995, state tenants in nationalised houses were allowed to buy their homes, to the

detriment of pre-WWII owners. Historical owners sued but many also sold the

litigation rights to well-connected real estate developers who could press for

resolutions in their favor. Law 10/2001 favored the historical owners: propertieswere to be restituted integrally.In 2003, the law was changed so that former tenants

who had bought their houses in good faith during the 1990s could keep them. Thenew law offered virtually no protection to tenants who could not afford to buy the

houses or to rent on the market. Many of the recent brutal evictions result from this

setup.

The virtual absence of a social rented sector abandons people entirely to the law of

the market. This is the case in Croatia:All this left the majority to seek solutions for

their housing needs by buying property on the open market because this representsthe only form of tenure where one is actually able to get some sort of state subsidy.

In these ex-communist countries we now talk about those forgotten by

privatisation. In Russia, for instance, this situation concerns around 20 millionpeople. During the reform of the housing code, the residents of workers' housingwere completely forgotten and became people without rights (that is to say that they

didnt have access to the open privatisation of their housing). The privatisation ofhousing made in the 90s can no longer be reassessed, the deadline for appeal having

timed out.

In Western Europe, one can see a withdrawal of the state when it comes to low-cost

housing. Because of legal regulation tenants in the public, social or non-profithousing sectors are often better protected against evictions, rental increases and

other changes than in the fully private sector. If the house gets sold to private owners

tenants may lose their right to stay which can cause evictions, or else the rentincreases are so high that they fall into rental debt, and so eviction. Tenants can be

evicted because the landlord wants to move him/herself or a relative in, because ofconversions into condos or bedsits, because of a disinvestment business model which

pushes the tenant out because of conditions, or because of relentless investment andbuilding work to attract a richer tenant.


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Social housing is also given to charities created to take care of vulnerable people, or

even to renovate damaged social housing. In the UK, council housing was given tohousing associations with little accountability towards their tenants. These housing

associations are now primarily using their capital to buy homes for sale and privaterental, and have lost most of their social function.

Third finding: new housing policies in several European countries increase thenumber of evictions

This is the case for France among others: Tax breaks helping rich investors to buynew accommodations in order to rent them at a high price are still encouraged. The

extension of this support has benefited primarily those rich enough to buy, when

state subsidies for renters are negligible. It also increases the prices of property and

rents, worsening the housing crisis and increasing the number of evictions. Thereare also plans to reduce housing benefit paid to tenants, resulting in the further

impoverishment of the working classes, particularly social renters. This is how rentarrears increase and additional evictions take place.

Fourth finding: the exorbitant cost of housing is a Europe-wide phenomenon.In a context where wages are falling and the cost of housing increasing,

evictions are inevitable.

Let us recall that according to EUROSTAT (and these figures are conservative), a high

percentage of the population in certain countries (between 15% and 35% of thepopulation) has to allocate 40% or moreof its earnings for the cost of housing. In

decreasing order, Greece, Denmark, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Netherlands and

Spain. It goes without saying that the cost of housing has a direct effect on the rise ofthe number of evictions and homeless people in Europe. On top of that, the incredible

price hikes of energy bills have emerged due to the liberalisation of markets.

In Italy, for exemple, a study showed the direct link between the increase in the rentsand evictions: Before the crisis entered its worst phase (that is to say up to 2007),

only 40,000 people per year were affected by evictions, and only 40%of the caseswere resulting from rent arrears. Today, the main reason for 90% eviction is non-

payment.

Fifth finding: the liberalisation of the real estate market has created a massive

increase in evictions

This issue is directly linked to the latest real estate bubbles and those to come. In

Spain, since 2008, there are an average of 532 evictions a day. Gente sin casas ycasas sin gente People without houses and houses without people, sums up well


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the consequences of a Spanish policy that has favoured the access to secured loans

on properties for all, the responsibility of the public authorities and the banks nothaving been put into question. The same policy has been followed by other countries

such as Portugal with the slogan: You want a house, go to the bank !

This liberalisation was paired with the creation of a mortgage industry, resulting in

numerous evictions. For instance, this is the case of Romania: After 2001, the stressput on property acquisition at the expense of tenancy rights triggered the

development of an oversized mortage industry, which encouraged the 2000 housingbubble. The banking sectors risky credit policies, aided by the states direct support

for property ownership, were both instrumental in these developments. The

deficiencies of this project would be noticed only when it was too late and the global

Financial crisis had already reached Romanian shores.

Nevertheless, the situation remains unstable for other countries, such as Norway

which has 80%owner-occupancy: The prices for housing have increased by 30%between 2006 and 2012. The current success story of Norway creates a real

property bubble that could end after this property boom by a collapse in the market,like in other European countries. This is what one of the Central Bank of Norway

advisers confirms.

Sixth finding: Europe, through the Troika (the alliance of the European Central

Bank, the European Commission, and the International Monetary Fund)hasincreased evictions by imposing its regulations for an even more liberalised

housing market.

In Portugal, for instance, the situation imposed by the contract with the Troika (cutsto services in return for money, mainly used for bailouts and debts) is clear on that

level:the Troika memorandum imposed the total liberalisation of this market. That

means two main things :

1)

Eviction express eviction fast and easy taking out the obligation of tenants

eviction passing through the court a new state entity was created just to runevictions and the evictions can happen much more easily.

2) This new law also abolished the rent controls that existed in the old contracts

made before 1990, which belonged mainly to old people who receive small

pensions. The government announced rent subsidies to these people, but no

one trusts that this will work considering all the cuts in the social welfare.

3) In Greece also, the consequences are terrible : abolition of social housing

organisations, withdrawal of housing benefits, and in general moreconstraints in accessibility (mainly through the large rise in council taxes, thedifficulty in repaying loans and the rise of the cost of public services). There

are also new legal measures concerning evictions (article 15 of the law


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4055/12 in the official bulletin A/12-3-2012, that plan an accelerated legal

procedure without a lawsuit).

In Croatia, in 2014, these European pressures have brought changes to the legislation

: these made faster evictions possible, though also somewhat higher prices forauctioned property. In regards to recognising the primary residence as a factor, the

law prescribed a half-baked social measure that allows the indebted to prove (within8 days of the court order date), that the defaulted property is their primary rsidence

and if so, to stay in it for the duration of one year while paying rent.

Seventh finding: the issue of evictions also concerns more marginalised

populations in Europe with limited rights to stay, and often criminalisedcultures and lifestyles.

Homeless people: In Hungary, in 2010, The government introduced a law thatcriminalises homelessness. Homeless people living in public places are liable to pay a

fine of 530 euros or to spend 60 days in prison. This means that people are firstvictims of eviction and, if they cannot find a home, then become criminals!In East

London, a local council tried to introduce a 'Public Space Protection Order' makingrough sleeping and begging finable offences, with jail time if payment wasn't possible.This Order was revoked after less than a month after a campaign organised by Digs,

the local Private Renters group.

Travellers, Roma, and informal settlements: In several European countries, thesituation of the Roma is very precarious. When they are not being evicted, their

housing conditions and rights are minimal: The Roma population, officially

estimated at 2% of the population in Slovakia, live in conditions of great poverty, inaccommodation without access to drinking water or sewage. Adults and children

often live in a one-room cabin sometimes with only one bed. Theyre mostly locatedin the Eastern part of the country, the least developed economically speaking and

with a high rate of unemployment.. In 2012, the mayor of Baia Mare (Romania),presided over the eviction of 1000 Roma people from the Craica neighborhood to a

disused ex-chemical laboratory. () This massive displacement came one year afterthe same mayor had built a 2m tall and 100m long wall, to separate the Roma

community in the Vasile Alecsandri neighborhood from the rest of the locals, claiming

to protect the community from the car accidents on the highway!In Slovenia, oncemore evictions and poor housing conditions are linked : Despite several positive

measures on the behalf of the public authorities, the majority of Roma do not benefit

from a decent home. Many Roma gathered together used to live in slums or camps,

often isolated in rural areas, on lands where they didnt have any security of tenure.In areas of informal settlements, they were not safe from forced evictions and didnt

have any access to public services, or sanitation. In a few villages, Roma are forced to


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fetch water (for their consumption, cooking and washing) from polluted backyards

or public taps in petrol stations and cemeteries.

Travellers or people living in semi-permanent structures (caravans, boats, etc.) arealso often the first to be evicted. In the United Kingdom their situation is difficult: Irish Traveller and Romani Gypsy evictions are commonplace for many living on

unauthorised sites accros the UK. Approximately one half to two thirds of the UKs300,000 Travellers and Gypsies live in bricks and mortar, often againts their will due

to a lack of caravan sites. Bargee Travellers and boaters who live on the waterwayshave a mixture of permanent moorings and continous cruiser licences, which

require them to move from place to place every two weeks. Place is not legally

defined, and is in dispute through cases in court.

In Belgium, travellers live on unauthorised sites and without any legal framework,

which makes evictions easier. In Portugal, the attitude of tolerance for this kind of

dwelling is also being eroded: Portugal still has still slums and self-built houses, thatwere tolerated and even encouraged some decades ago and now are considered

illegal and liable for demolition. Around 40% of the people that live in theseconditions are facing eviction and the demolition of their home without prospect

ofrehousing.

Squatters: the present Conservative government in the U.K. has criminalised this

kind of resident: Squatting has historically been a criminal offence in Scotland and

Northern Ireland. In England and Wales, squatting of residential properties became a

criminal offence in 2012, while squatting in commercial properties remains a civilmatter. A few European countries have also regressed in this respect: squatting

became illegal in the Netherlands in 2010. In France, a bill was brought forward to

facilitate evictions of squatters at the end of 2014, but was defeated after strong

mobilisations. When squatters arent the victims of a forced eviction, its oftenbecause another mechanism was triggered - one of normalisation desired by theauthorities. For example, the famous squat Christiana in Copenhagen has endured

after long negotiations with the city. In 2011 the residents were able to buy themajority of the buildings and thus avoid a mass eviction. Even if squatting is a choice

for some, it is the only housing alternative for many. For instance, in the case ofMacedonia, where 15%of the population live in illegal shelters, in Skopje alone, there

are 120,000 squatters.

Eighth finding: in some countries, the absence of regulation of the housingmarket by public authorities, coupled with strong protection laws for tenants,

boosts cases of evictions

In a few countries, particularly in Eastern and Central Europe, there is a paradoxicalsituation that can lead to evictions. In Russia, for instance, laws protecting for tenants

created during the communist era are still applicable. The official eviction proceduretakes 2.5 years. In these conditions, a study carried by the University of Bremen


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showed the emergence of two phenomena: many landlords refuse to sign a contract

with their tenants who are considered to be too protected by the law and, at thesame time, a huge black market develops where evictions are numerous since tenants

have no rights.

Sometimes, loopholes are to be found. In Belgium, for example, evictions have to be

decided by a judge, except in very specific cases where the mayor can use their powerto evict people because of the unhabitability of a property, which covers up a

permission for urban gentrification in big cities.

Ninth finding: urban transformation and gentrification is a process of mass

evictions

Most European countries know this issue: from the city centre in Budapest to theurban transformation of Istanbul, through big cities in France, Germany and Spain.

Gentrification is a continental state and corporate process of social cleansing thepushing out of working class populations from their traditional strongholds for thebenefit of global capital. It creates an overvaluing of land and an upward pressure on

rents. In all cases, the result is a mass displacement of established communities.

Tenth finding: the weakness of the social fabric combined with public

authority policies for the deinstitutionalisation of part of the population

increase evictions

Here, we see two categories of vulnerable people: people with mental health issues

and others institutionalised for addiction. Even if a few European countries havesocial care institutions, today a proportion of these people are on the streets. Gettingaccommodation (through an organisation) does not allow vulnerable people to hold

onto it. Repeated crises prevent them from fulfilling their "duty of payment " whenrenting - they are always the first victims of evictions for non-payment, disrepair of

the premises, blight, infestation and other housing injustices.

FEANTSA (The European Federation of National Organisations working with

Homelessness) published a book 'Homelessness and Mental Health' on this topic in2013, certain studies showing that the percentage of homeless people in Europe

suffering from mental illness could be up to 53%. Mental illness is both a cause and

consequence of evictions, particularly after the trauma of the inability to continuerepaying a mortgage. The dossier shows how all of this is linked with a European

policy of deinstitutionalisation of these vulnerable people, referring to the reduction

in the number of beds in psychiatric institutions in Belgium, Finland, Moldavia,Portugal, Greece, Serbia, Lithuania, Estonia, etc. Though this can be a positive force, itcan only be so if twinned with proper housing and care in the community.


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II. A few statistics or data in order to present the

issue

The problem with statistics (when they exist) is that of mixing apples and pears.Indeed, how is it possible to compare the situation of an individual being evicted for

outstanding rent debt with the situation of another who isnt able to pay back amortgage within a general context of the liberalisation of the mortgage market?

Comparing massive evictions through urban gentrification with evictions related tothe very nature of the housing type (boats, caravans, etc.) or the person (Roma forinstance). Besides, there are significant differences sometimes between the number

of evictions proceedings and the number of actual evictions.

We will therefore not try to compare the data among European countries, especiallysince many activists pinpoint the lack of reliable figures. We will simply share some

of the findings made by activists on the ground, on a national basis.

A little tour of Europe : statistics on evictions

COUNTRIES SITUATION

BELGIUM The main cause of evictions (around 80%) is unpaid rent. Over the lastdecade, the number of cases has risen dramatically, in some parts of the

country by up to 50%. However, only a small number of these cases(less than a quarter of them) ends with an actual eviction, because the

resident has left the place or negotiated an alternative to eviction.

BOSNIA

HERZEGOVINA

The Roma population has suffered a high number of evictions, with no

rehousing offered, particularly around the city of Mostar.

CROATIA There are no figures available about evictions, only about propertyseizures, which are on the rise. In 2014 the Government changed someof the laws about property seizure, which made the eviction process

faster than it had been before.

FRANCE The number of evictions has increased since the 1960s. From a fewthousand cases coming before the courts each year, there are now over

120,000. About half of these concern social housing tenants, and over aquarter relate to Paris and its suburbs.

The number of forced evictions (actual evictions, with the police

involved) has also risen, so that now there are more than 13,000 of

these each year. Most of the time, evictees are left on the streets withoutany help, despite legislation that should give them a right to some kind of


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temporary housing.

GREECE It seems that new legislation is on the way, which will allow for evictions

to happen more quickly, and without a court case.

ITALY The latest data from Italy shows a 15% increase in evictions between2013 and 2014. There are large regional differences, with many of these

evictions taking place in Northern regions, for example in Lombardy

(18.4%) and Emilia Romagna (15.2%).

Out of 150,000 eviction orders granted in 2014, 30,000 resulted inactual evictions.

LUXEMBOURG The President of the Chamber of Bailiffs of the Grand-Duchy says that

the number of evictions they carry out has doubled over the last 10years. He says. Rents are expensive and when there is problem such asa loss of employment, divorce, or accident, people get into difficulties.

Before, they didn't want to pay. Now, they just can't.

POLANDThe law changed in 2012. Councils can evict people and then put them

in homeless shelters, when there is not enough proper social housing.People are fined for sleeping outdoors.

PORTUGAL In 2011 and 2012, around 12,500 homes were seized by banks, leadingto massive evictions. New regulations make the procedures for evictions

easier. However, other important measures have been introduced, whichneeded to be regulated, such as the implementation of a Special Eviction

Procedure and the creation of the National Office for Leases (BalcoNacional de Arrendamento). Finally, there is a tendency to withdrawfrom the jurisdiction of the courts by assigning more competence to

new administrative entities.

ROMANIA The intensive development of the biggest cities in Romania, such asBucharest and Cluj, was accompanied by massive forced changes along

race and class lines. Poor communities were progressively forced

towards the cities' outskirts and in some cases illegally relocated to

unsanitary, polluted and inadequate environments. This process wascarried out by local authorities in complicity with real estate interestsand legitimised through racist and classist discourses that ensured

electoral gains.

Currently no systematic data is available regarding the number ofevictions.


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RUSSIAN

FEDERATIONEvictions for non-payment of rents and charges are legal after a judge's

decision after 6 months of consecutive non-payment, and in the absence

of 'valid cause'. But the experience of previous years shows that thecourts interpret in a very "flexible" manner the existence of "valid

causes", ignoring for example cases of unemployment or social

isolation.

The arrival of the Olympic Games in Sochi also led to huge evictions of

Russian inhabitants. Cases of huge evictions of Roma using police and

bulldozers have also been flagged up.

SPAINSince the mid-90s, there have been an average of 55,000 cases each

year, with the number of mortgage-related cases showing a steady fall(eg in 2001, there were only 10,000 of these). However, the crisis of

2007-8 drastically changed this pattern, with the number of mortgage-related cases multiplying massively, peaking at around 100,000 in 2010!

UNITED

KINGDOM

In the UK in 2014 there were around 21,000 repossessions of

mortgaged homes this is a drop of around 26% from 2013, and forms

part of a downwards trend over the last decade. Interest rates have beenkept low by the state, and the state support for these owner-occupiers

and buy-to-let landlords in arrears is considerable, in sharp contrast with

tenants who receive no support at all. However, more and more homes

are falling into mortgage arrears.

The only available data on tenant evictions does not discriminate

between social and private tenants. The figure given is 42,000 evictions

in England and Wales in 2014, but this does not include the many illegalevictions that occur without being documented. Another element is theextreme precariousness within the private rented sector, which is

almost unregulated. Landlords routinely decide not to renew 6-12 month

contracts, resulting in households moving every year. Though notofficially eviction, this displacement has an economic basis which

should not be ignored.

It has become much more difficult for tenants to have legalrepresentation in eviction cases due to the cutting of the budget for legal

aid, which affects about 600,000 people who would otherwise have

recourse to free legal representation.


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III. Inspirational struggles

This section briefly looks at inspirational struggles which could lead to possible

methods and aims for action, although we recognise that the local specificities ofstruggles against evictions are as diverse as their causes.

CROATIA

Franak NGO : The organisation was formed around the case of toxic housing loans

tied to the Swiss Franc. Almost all housing loans in Croatia are tied to a foreign

currency, (mostly the Euro) and the organisation Franak takes its names from theSwiss currency. Over the next couple of years they succeeded in changing the

narrative and reversing the dominant blame game by collecting stories of those

affected from all over Croatia and publishing them in a Black Book which is atestament of the social devastation produced by toxic loans and lack of alternativetenure. Franak has also published extensive research of this phenomenon and its

social and economic consequences. By 2013 they had won a case in which the Court

ruled that arbitrary changes of interest rates were illegal and can be reversed inindividual court cases (only a handful of these cases have been won so far).At the

other end of the spectrum, Right to the Cityand our partner organisations closelywork with the still relatively strong (mostly public sector) trade unions. The latter

have, upon receiving some of the funds from the sale of social housing, entered intohousebuilding, some more successfully than others, building housing units for their

trade union members. From accounts of some of those working on this project, they

are aware that this is just a drop in the ocean and that much more should be done bythe state, but they are reluctant to get involved in issues of social reproduction while

trying to defend people's rights in workplaces. As of recently, they have seen the riseof property seizures affecting their members and some of them have joined Franaks

actions recognising over-indebtedness as a serious and systemic problem.

ENGLAND AND WALES

The Eviction Resistance Network (ERN -

https://evictionresistance.squat.net/about) is a working group of the RadicalHousing Network (RHN). They organise workshops to teach how to support eachother when threatened with evictions, and how to stop bailiffs. On their website(http://evictionresistance.org.uk) there is a "How to organise your own eviction

resistance workshop" and blogs posts to show examples of eviction resistance. Aguide is being written with all this information. At the moment they do 2 to 4

workshops a month, with the hope that the local groups who benefit from theseworkshops, can then organise their own in their local area. Thanks to these
https://evictionresistance.squat.net/abouthttps://evictionresistance.squat.net/abouthttp://evictionresistance.org.uk/http://evictionresistance.org.uk/http://evictionresistance.org.uk/http://evictionresistance.org.uk/https://evictionresistance.squat.net/about


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workshops, two anti-eviction groups and phone networks have been started in July

2015 in London.

Just Spaceand the London Tenants Federation(UK) work among other things tomake the case against council estate demolition as the dominant form of estate'redevelopment', pushing for clauses in local and city-wide planning policy that

privilege refurbishment as an option that prevents displacement and eviction.

London Tenants' Federation is a representative body, mainly for tenants in socialrented council housing, but also for housing association tenants, council leaseholders

and others. Its meetings have representation from most of London's 33 boroughs.LTF seeks to support borough tenants' organisations with information and give themthe opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences. LTF believes that strong

tenant organisation is the best defence against attacks on our housing estates and our

homes.

Just Space brings together a very wide range of organisations concerned about

matters raised through the planning process, including housing, transport, industryand commerce, and the environment. Just Space is currently working on its ownalternative London plan, involving a broad spectrum of London people and

organisations.

Defend Council Housinghave organised across the UK against stock transfer (thetransfer of council housing to housing associations and privatisation), and against

estate demolition, a process that in its current form inevitably leads to displacementand homelessness. They have also been closely involved in campaigns that have been

run in London and across England (Manchester, Bristol, Leeds etc.) against the

bedroom tax, a reduction of housing benefit for families deemed to have surplus

rooms, often leading to eviction (seehttp://www.nobedroomtax.co.uk).

A variety of groups including Shelter, GMB Young London, and some other

Radical Housing Network groups(2014-15), demonstrated and lobbied Membersof Parliament and the government which led to a change in legislation: theintroduction (in the Deregulation Act 2015) of section 33 Preventing Retaliatory

Evictions.

FRANCE

Activities of the DAL : Collective action is indispensible for establishing a strongfavourable relationship among those excluded from access to housing. It is necessary

to remain non-violent, and not put the families in danger. The DAL leads the struggle

completely independently of NGOs and political parties. The possibilities of victory

are linked to the existence of a support network with the largest possible number ofindividuals, trade unions, and religious and political associations excluding those

advocating xenophobia and segregation.
http://www.nobedroomtax.co.uk/http://www.nobedroomtax.co.uk/http://www.nobedroomtax.co.uk/http://www.nobedroomtax.co.uk/


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The Objectives of the DAL:

To unite and organise families and individuals, those poorly housed or

concerned with the problem of housing, for the defence of the right to decenthousing for all.

To demand an end to evictions without rehousing.To demand decentalternative accommodation adapted for all families and individuals who are

poorly housed or without housing.

To require the requisition of empty buildings and houses owned by local

communities, by local administrations, by banks, by insurance companies, bylarge landlords, and by the real estate sector.

More generally to initiate and organise support, information, and the

promotion of action with the goal of remedying the problems of the poorlyhoused and those without housing, notably by proposals looking to change

housing law.

GERMANY

The city of Cologne has moved towards a policy against evictions which is akin to aform of requisition. When the court passes judgement on an eviction case, the federallaw requires it to notify the city. The municipal department then makes a survey of

the residents and may decide to keep the renters, for 26 weeks, in their private rentedaccommodation, paying their rent and any arrears. The intervention of the local

authority is accompanied by social support for persons to resume their payments or

for them to move to another home. According to the Director of Housing Services ofthe city of Cologne, this has emerged as a less expensive alternative to placing people

in emergency accommodation after eviction.

HUNGARY

A VAROS MINDEKIE is a Hungarian organisation of homeless and poorly housedpeople that struggles against evictions:http://avarosmindenkie.blog.hu

Szocilis pttbor Community: this organisation works with homeless people

and the poorly housed in order to self-renovate houses.

https://www.facebook.com/sz.epitotabor

ROMANIA
http://avarosmindenkie.blog.hu/http://avarosmindenkie.blog.hu/http://avarosmindenkie.blog.hu/https://www.facebook.com/sz.epitotaborhttps://www.facebook.com/sz.epitotaborhttps://www.facebook.com/sz.epitotaborhttp://avarosmindenkie.blog.hu/


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Frontul Comun pentru Dreptul la Locuire (Common Front for the Right to

Housing). On the 15th of September 2015 FCDL marked the bitter one-yearanniversary of the protest camp at Vulturilor 50. Since the 2014 eviction, part of the

community decided to remain in the street to protest the lack of decent publichousing, with the support of tens of organisations that accompanied them in their

efforts to push their issues onto city halls agenda and also to organise to survive anextremely cold winter and a very hot summer. This was so far the most extensive

organised resistance against evictions, in a context in which the struggles are mostly

carried out individually and in isolation from hundreds of other people facing whathas become a mass phenomenon.

However, the limited resources, the lack of legal support, the extreme opacity of local

authorities and the difficulties in building solidarity and mass mobilisation due topervasive racism and classism has led to demotivation regarding the prospects of theorganisation.

Nonetheless, FCDL members have been involved in organising protests against

evictions and demanding rehousing in decent accomodation, in research anddissemination of information on different eviction cases, in assisting people with

paperwork related to social housing requests and accompanying them at the

meetings with local authorities. They also participated in public national andinternational conferences and discussions on housing problems, monitored empty

public housing and housing waste, provided logistical and informational support for

direct action (an occupation of a social housing flat by evictees in November 2013),

and engaged with central and local authorities on the topic of housing needs.

SCOTLAND

The new Living Rent campaign in Scotland(http://www.livingrent.org)is buildingmomentum through creating local organising groups in a number of cities. These

groups are going through the process of formalising membership, and in essence are

functioning like small tenants' unions. They are currently organising for thescrapping of the s21 'no fault eviction' clause that allows private tenants to be evicted

for no reason other than profit. With a more powerful Scottish National Party (whichhas displaced the Labour Party overwhelmingly) this call is gathering strength, and

they hope that legislation in favour of private renters will be passed in the nearfuture.

SPAIN

LA PAH offers practical support to oppose evictions, a methodology of actions

implemented with people who have lost their homes and who were - mostly not

already politicised. A publication was also made by Ada Colau Ballano (now the Mayor
http://www.livingrent.org/http://www.livingrent.org/http://www.livingrent.org/


17/17

of Barcelona) and Adria Alemany Salafranca: "Mortgaged lives: from the housing

bubble to the right to housing" (http://libcom.org/library/mortgaged-lives)

Download the pdf of practical advice How to stop eviction:

https://traduccionesindignadas.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/how-to-stop-an-

eviction-final.pdf

Watch the documentary Si se Puede (PAH Barcelona) :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elnjoFVv_Os

Sources

Common Front for the Right to Housing - Romania

Pravo na Grad - Croatia

DAL (Droit Au Logement) France

Mappemonde Habitat Urbain http://wm-urban-habitat.org

La PAH (Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca) Spain

Plataforma por une Vivienda digna Spain

Habita ! - Portugal

Evictions in the UK, London Grouping of the European Action Coalition for the Rightto Housing and to the City

Rseau Brabanon pour le Droit au Logement Belgium

FEANTSA, Le Sans-Abrisme et la Sant Mentale, 2013European Popular Education School for the Right to Housinghttp://educpop-

droits.eu.en - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1d8uq4yQyI

LEssentiel 2014

Human Rights Watch

International Federation for Human Rights
http://libcom.org/library/mortgaged-liveshttp://libcom.org/library/mortgaged-liveshttp://libcom.org/library/mortgaged-liveshttps://traduccionesindignadas.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/how-to-stop-an-eviction-final.pdfhttps://traduccionesindignadas.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/how-to-stop-an-eviction-final.pdfhttps://traduccionesindignadas.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/how-to-stop-an-eviction-final.pdfhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elnjoFVv_Oshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elnjoFVv_Oshttp://wm-urban-habitat.org/http://educpop-droits.eu.en/http://educpop-droits.eu.en/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1d8uq4yQyIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1d8uq4yQyIhttp://educpop-droits.eu.en/http://educpop-droits.eu.en/http://wm-urban-habitat.org/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elnjoFVv_Oshttps://traduccionesindignadas.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/how-to-stop-an-eviction-final.pdfhttps://traduccionesindignadas.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/how-to-stop-an-eviction-final.pdfhttp://libcom.org/library/mortgaged-lives

evictions across europe

Documents