Scott House tenants will be served with section 21 eviction notices "shortly"
Tribe has informed more than 60 residents that it will soon will be sending out the eviction notices. Residents report that the building's condition has deteriorated over recent months. In February, construction work began outside their windows.
Scott House tenants have lived under threat of eviction since March 2024, when Tribe Grove Street's planning application was submitted to Lewisham council.
Tribe is part of giant property development firm Aitch group, and covers its Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) activity. The firm has applied for permission to build a 31-story tower on the Scott House site.
The application was approved in principle by Lewisham council on 7th November 2024, and is now awaiting stage 2 approval from the London mayor.
Deteriorating conditions in the building
Scott House tenants have reported deteriorating conditions to Tribe and to Evelyn ward councillors over recent months.
Communal bins are overflowing, have become infested with rats and are attracting foxes. Security locks have failed and tenants have reported rough sleepers using the block.
Tenants have also reported mould and continuously beeping fire alarms.
In February, residents were shocked to find excavation work starting in the yard immediately outside their windows. The construction company brought in portable toilets for its workers and building work began, creating high levels of noise, dust and diesel fumes.
The work began with "ground investigations" which included creating boreholes in the car park. This work overran and overlapped with "rotary drilling works" at the rear of the building.
Further work was carried out in March, when preparations began and then a crane was brought in to decommission the Vodafone mast on the building roof. Residents were advised to keep clear of the "crane deployment zone" and other "drop zone" areas.
Tenants have expressed their disgust at the sight of portable toilets so close to their windows, and high levels of stress from the disturbance, dust and fumes.
Noise, construction dust and diesel fumes are harmful to health, particularly when in close proximity. Residents are not aware of any noise or air quality assessments taking place.
There are more than 60 tenants in the building, some of whom have lived in their homes for 16 years.
Residents appealed to Tribe and to their councillors to request that construction activities be stopped until the building has been vacated, which they understood to be scheduled for October.
They have continued to be charged their full rent during the period of disruption.
Section 21 evictions and the Renters' Rights Bill
Tribe is waiting for stage 2 approval from the London mayor to allow the PBSA development to go ahead.
However, the firm warned tenants on 23rd May that they will receive section 21 evictions "shortly", potentially in advance of the planning decision.
Labour's new renters rights bill is currently in the House of Lords and is expected to become law in July. It will ban "no-fault" section 21 evictions, among other reforms.
Housing campaigners have identified a rise in the number of section 21 evictions in the months leading up the bill, as landlords take advantage of it while they can.
Less than three weeks before Christmas, Tribe's parent company Aitch Group, sent section 21 eviction notices to 150 residents at Vive Living in nearby Childer's Street.
Help with finding alternative accommodation
At the planning meeting on 7th November, councillors asked Tribe to commit to supporting residents in finding alternative accommodation, and the firm described what it could do to assist residents.
Residents say that to date, no help has been forthcoming.
We asked Tribe to respond to reports of deteriorating conditions and whether the firm believe that works taking place while tenants are still in the building conforms with Construction Best Practice.
Tribe has not responded.
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Dorothy Stein
