TENANTS in south-west London’s Dorchester Court protested outside letting agent Property Partners today against the “silent treatment” it gave to calls for rent reductions during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Scores of London Renters Union (LRU) members chanted: “Property Partners — we can’t wait, we want you to negotiate” outside the agent’s premises near Waterloo station,.

They demanded that the agent stop ignoring requests to set up a meeting with their landlord, Manaquel Ltd, which is owned by multi-millionaire property tycoon Heinrich Feldman.   

In May, 96 LRU members at Dorchester Court, in Herne Hill, sent Manaquel a letter calling for rent reductions and no evictions for arrears during the pandemic, and essential repairs to their homes. 

An initial response from Property Partners suggested that the agent would set up a meeting, but since then tenants say they have been given the silent treatment for nearly eight weeks.

Many residents have had their income slashed because of redundancies or furlough, or have been unable to work in self-employed roles. 

Some who have lost income work for the NHS and have had to deal with “harassment” from the letting agent for rent while trying to care for patients. 

Tenants had individually urged Manaquel to reduce rents during the crisis after the government instructed landlords to show “compassion.”

LRU member Anna, who lives at Dorchester Court, said she hoped that Property Partners and Manaquel realised that the tenants would not stay quiet.

She said: “This pandemic has shown that ordinary working people keep the economy and our society going. 

“Property Partners and Manaquel can clearly afford to negotiate a fair agreement to allow us to stay in our homes without going into debt, and fix the longstanding repairs issues that jeopardise our health.”