Eve Brown Protest

[barr]

I just got the e-mail from the union informing us that they are organising a protest against the desion by eve brown not to sign the landlords charter.

Is it not still a FREE country? why should they have to sign it, afterall it is voluntary, and if you are worried by it then use a diffrent landlord.

Will the students union not run another protest later complaining that the rents have increased to meet these new demands? I belive rents have gone up too much allready. personaly if it is a choice standards or cost then i would go for cost so long as it was safe (which there is surly allready legistation to achive).

PRESERVE FREEMARKETS AND CHOICE

[The_Farwall]

Um... Eh? You're complaining because the Students Union are organising a protest to persuade a company who rent to a large number of students to agree to provide better standards to Students. Isn't this exactly what the Students Union is there to do (amoungst other things, obviously)?
As you say, it's (still, marginally) a free country and nobody can force Eve Brown to sign the agreement but it seems perfectly reasonable for students to excercise their own freedom by publically advocating a measure that benefits them.

[hr][s]Good Morning, Captain.[/s]

[barr]

i would disagree as to if we will benifit, by an increase in rents.

[The_Farwall]

[s]barr wrote on 17:23, 30th Jan 2003:
i would disagree as to if we will benifit, by an increase in rents.

Which, however likely you may think it is, isn't certain to happen. The SU are giving those students who might want to hedge their bets against it happening, a chance to make their point. Which event will, in turn, give you and anyone else who sides with you a time and place to gather at to make your own counterpoints.
Voila! An actual practical demonstration of the freedoms and choice you so astutely pointed out that we have.

[hr]
[s]Good Morning, Captain.[/s]

[TheGamesMaster]

Do we know why Eve Brown won't/hasn't signed it? Have they said in a public statment why?

[Prophet Tenebrae]

Eve Brown must be crushed and utterly destroyed to prove now and always that students are a force to be reckoned with - old people beware!

[Marco Biagi]

The Landlord/Tenant Charter is a voluntary code of conduct that does not require vast amounts from the agent - check the union website for the conditions of accreditation. I have in the past questioned the value of enforcing a Charter of such limited scope, but have been won around by the argument that the Charter at least sets out clearly for all students the basic minimums of standards that they can expect. Rent increases are more likely to come from the highly flawed government HMO (houses of multiple occupancy) legislation currently being implemented across Scotland.

Incidentally, Eve Brown said in a letter to me on 26 July 2002:

"Quite frankly the SU [sic] appear to have offered landlords nothing"

We have offered accreditation and recommendation. The 5 signatories (Pagan, Murray Donald & Caithness, Inchdairnie, GE Shepherd and Bradburne & Co) have all received numerous positive mentions on the union website, the Vine, the How to Rent booklet and even now this website. There is space set aside for them in the union building should they wish to advertise on a noticeboard (only Bradburne & Co have so far, and they did not renew the space). Advice from union staff will only recommend signatory agents. Signatory agents are welcome to advertise themselves as recommended by the Association.

Considering how relatively toothless the Charter is, we're offering a lot of free publicity.

And if we're offering good publicity to the signatories...

[Marco Biagi]

The Landlord/Tenant Charter is a voluntary code of conduct that does not require vast amounts from the agent - check the union website for the conditions of accreditation. I have in the past questioned the value of enforcing a Charter of such limited scope, but have been won around by the argument that the Charter at least sets out clearly for all students the basic minimums of standards that they can expect. Rent increases are more likely to come from the highly flawed government HMO (houses of multiple occupancy) legislation currently being implemented across Scotland.

Incidentally, Eve Brown said in a letter to me on 26 July 2002:

"Quite frankly the SU [sic] appear to have offered landlords nothing"

We have offered accreditation and recommendation. The 5 signatories (Pagan, Murray Donald & Caithness, Inchdairnie, GE Shepherd and Bradburne & Co) have all received numerous positive mentions on the union website, the Vine, the How to Rent booklet and even now this website. There is space set aside for them in the union building should they wish to advertise on a noticeboard (only Bradburne & Co have so far, and they did not renew the space). Advice from union staff will only recommend signatory agents. Signatory agents are welcome to advertise themselves as recommended by the Association.

Considering how relatively toothless the Charter is, we're offering a lot of free publicity.

And if we're offering good publicity to the signatories...

[Marco Biagi]

The Landlord/Tenant Charter is a voluntary code of conduct that does not require vast amounts from the agent - check the union website for the conditions of accreditation. I have in the past questioned the value of enforcing a Charter of such limited scope, but have been won around by the argument that the Charter at least sets out clearly for all students the basic minimums of standards that they can expect. Rent increases are more likely to come from the highly flawed government HMO (houses of multiple occupancy) legislation currently being implemented across Scotland.

Incidentally, Eve Brown said in a letter to me on 26 July 2002:

"Quite frankly the SU [sic] appear to have offered landlords nothing"

We have offered accreditation and recommendation. The 5 signatories (Pagan, Murray Donald & Caithness, Inchdairnie, GE Shepherd and Bradburne & Co) have all received numerous positive mentions on the union website, the Vine, the How to Rent booklet and even now this website. There is space set aside for them in the union building should they wish to advertise on a noticeboard (only Bradburne & Co have so far, and they did not renew the space). Advice from union staff will only recommend signatory agents. Signatory agents are welcome to advertise themselves as recommended by the Association.

Considering how relatively toothless the Charter is, we're offering a lot of free publicity.

And if we're offering good publicity to the signatories...

[barr]

I notice that the university accomadation services is absent from the list of accrrediated landlords - are you protesting at that as well, they also act as letting agents.

The post from marco exoplains more about it than the e-mail did which simply did not explain what benifits we could expect. And i had not seen anything about this charter before that e-mail. So the majority of the protesters will not know what they are protesting about. would it not have been sensible to put a link in?

http://www.yourunion.net/main/representation/charter

I think having actualy now been to the union web site, I would also question the value of such a charter.
If it is to be of any value to us then surly it must cost the landlord money, do they need this free ad space? as they seem to fill their flats normaly without an advertisment.

[BackwardsMan]

Well looks like the Union site has fucked up again beause the file that the link goes to is garbage when displayed in Word like the site says it should.

[Oli]

The word document seems to work fine for me. Perhaps it's your computer that is broken.

[barr]

i can open it with "word pad" but not word.

[snowflake]

the charter seems pretty straightforward. the only thing i could see eve brown really having a problem with -
That all bedrooms will have at least a bed, wardrobe and chest of drawers per occupant.
- having lived in an eve brown properties for 2 years (yes i know, i must be stupid), neither having a chest of drawers, and one room being barely big enough to accomodate a bed, wardrobe & desk let alone any other furniture, could forsee problems. unless a desk with 2 drawers counts as a chest of drawers but i'm not sure it does?

...also having to provide an emergency contact number which would be SO useful for tenants but ultimately only extra aggravation for the letting agents...
which does essentially back up the eve brown attitude of not being bothered about their tenants wellbeing as long as you're giving them money and not threatening to sue them...

[Thackary]

What? You're not given an emergency number?

How about finding out the name of the person who dealt with your lease when you went to see them? Surely there number will be available in the phone book...

They might not be able to do anything right away, but I'm pretty sure that after a week or so, they'll be pretty keen to employ someone to answer all your calls.

[snowflake]

nope no number, or at least they didn't give me one anyway. i'd assume they'd tell you if they had one though...

lol remind me next time i speak to the lease person to find out her name...*goes to find phone book*

[rational-mind]

The charter is really a charter about nothing. It doesn't give any extra protection to tennants than they already get. Nevertheless, if I were Eve Brown, I wouldn't sign it. You only need some 1892 busybody wankers to get elected onto the SRC, and the next thing you know, you're being called to come to a "hearings" in the union about the fact that the owner of the property want to increase the rent for the next year, or because someone claims that they weren't given a property because they are gay.

[Al]

That's a very irrational post from someone who is so proud of their "rationality".

If the other letting agents have no qualms about signing up to the charter, I can't see any reason why EB refuses to do so as well. What have they go to hide? I suggest, "rational-mind", that you stop looking for conspiracy theories in everything with which you disagree. Oh and stop making such ridiculous statements as

"You only need some 1892 busybody wankers to get elected onto the SRC, and the next thing you know, you're being called to come to a "hearings" in the union about the fact that the owner of the property want to increase the rent for the next year, or because someone claims that they weren't given a property because they are gay".

Unless, you want to look like an idiot, that is.

[hr]"Oh sing sing sing
For the dying of the day
Sing for the flames that will rip through here
And the smoke that will carry us away"

[Eliot Wilson]

All the same, the Charter should be used to protect tenants, not as a stick with which to beat landlords who don't fall into line. If Eve Brown choose not to sign it, then fine, everyone makes their accommodation plans knowing that Eve Brown haven't signed up. But don't then try to demonise them for deciding not to sign a voluntary agreement. Otherwise it isn't voluntary, is it?

[Al]

Of course Eve Brown has the right not to sign up. But equally people have the right to question the reasons behind their refusal to sign up. Rightly or wrongly, people are going to ask - why? What have they got to hide? It won't demonise them though. EB were demonised long before the issue over the Charter. I can't think why..........

[hr]"Oh sing sing sing
For the dying of the day
Sing for the flames that will rip through here
And the smoke that will carry us away"