When one of our members was faced with disruptive renovation works in the buildings around their flat, we demanded a rent reduction from the landlord. The landlord entered into negotiations, initially only offering a 7.5% reduction. The union kept pushing, and managed to DOUBLE their rent reduction, winning them £200 off a month while these disruptive works are completed.
Want to be part of the fight for better housing in Oxford? Join Oxford Renters Union today!
3rd July 2026
The union showed up for our member Elena.
Together, we demanded her lettings agent compensate Elena for the year and a half that they have failed to repair her heating, despite repeated maintenance requests, leading to her flat developing black mould.
Through the union’s presence at the action on Saturday, we have won a meeting with the manager to negotiate our demands today, Tuesday 16th.
If they do not meet these demands, then we will be back! 💪
What an exciting month this has been for renters and for our union! On May 1st, the Renters Rights Act came into effect, finally bringing an end to Section 21 “no fault” evictions as well as a host of other changes to improve the lives of renters. You can find out more about your new rights here.
May has also meant the launch of our Resisting Rent Increases campaign. Thanks to the new law changes, it is now easier than ever to challenge your rent increase when it comes. It can take between 6 – 9 months for a decision on a rent increase dispute and in that time, you continue paying your current rent. Even if your rent does increase after the dispute process, this increase will not be backdated, meaning you could save hundreds of pounds! We’re asking renters in Oxford to pledge to dispute their rent increase – and we’ll help you every step of the way. You can find out more and register your interest here.
“While our wages stagnate, why should landlords expect a yearly pay rise?”; “Rent increase? Let’s dispute it!” – these were just some of the mottos Oxford Renters Union took to the streets with on May 2nd, when we joined the march to celebrate International Workers Day. Sporting homemade ORU T-shirts and placards designed by our members, we came out in numbers to march through the streets of Oxford and distribute flyers informing members of the public about their new rights and encouraging them to pledge with us.
It is sadly no surprise that many landlords have been selfishly scrambling to issue section 21 notices in the weeks leading up to the law changes. April saw a huge uptick in eviction notices that have blindsided renters across the country, and Oxford is no different. In our All Members’ Meeting this month, we received timely training in eviction resistance so that we can be prepared to stand up for our members against bailiffs. We’ve also been reviewing documents and notices, accompanying members to meetings with estate agents and landlords and planning next steps with members who are under threat of eviction. If you received a section 21 notice just before May 1st and want to discuss your options, become a member today and get in touch at admin@oxfordrentersunion.org.uk!
From 1st May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act comes into power, giving tenants new rights and introducing new rules for private landlords.
These new rules are empowering for renters, and we will be using them to challenge unfair treatment from landlords. Check out our latest campaign here
This information sheet explains how the new rules may affect your current tenancy. These changes only affect you if you are a tenant in the private rented sector with an assured or assured shorthold tenancy. If you live in social housing or you are a lodger, the new rules will not usually apply to you.
These rules have been introduced by law. Your landlord cannot put anything into a tenancy agreement to change them.
We are using these new powers to resist rent increases. Join us.
For more information, and to pledge, click here!
ORU members marched with over 80 unions and campaign organisers on the 18th to say NO MORE. No more giving over half of our paycheck to parasitic landlords, no more to mould filling our lungs, no more struggling to scrape by whilst the rich feed off of us and get richer. Rent controls now!
The march was the first of its kind in over a decade, with thousands taking to the streets in a show of force.
watch our video to check out what it was like, and get the inside scoop on when our new campaign is launching!
It’s been a busy couple of months for ORU! Since our last post we’ve had two all member meetings, and we’ve really hit the ground running.
Our March AMM saw us elect our first ever ORU committee, and we voted on our first campaign…more info coming on May 1st. Stay tuned, it’s gonna be a big one! Wonderful ORU members Freddie, Lola and Toby also made an amazing Persian feast for us to enjoy together after our meeting.
In April, we had our first member defence clinic at our AMM. Members were free to attend and discuss any housing struggles they were experiencing, and the union was there in solidarity to work together and brainstorm solutions. This was followed by another yummy communal meal prepped by members Arun and Maisie – Ragù with pasta.
Our working groups also shared what they’d been busy collaborating on, and we looked to the future: next steps for the National Housing Demo, our campaign launch in May, and more. Join now to get involved, shape our union, and fight back for housing justice.
ORU is marching for fair housing, and we need you to join us! We can subsidise travel costs for members – email us for info at admin@oxfordrentersunion.org.uk
It’s also a great opportunity to get to know other members better, and we’ll have fun doing it.
Unaffordable housing is destroying our lives.
Private rents across England have risen by almost a third since the pandemic. Last year alone, private renters paid landlords £107 billion in rent. Rents and service costs are spiralling for social tenants too, while millions of us are unable to access social housing at all.
We are the countless people trapped in unaffordable, overcrowded and unsafe housing. We are the private renters, social housing tenants, families in temporary accommodation, and sleeping rough. We are the workers, disabled people, young and old. We are people of colour, migrants, queer and trans people. We are all driven to breaking point by the same system, and we demand change. Sky-high housing costs mean we work two jobs, and cut back on essentials to get by.
We fear being pushed out by a rent rise, too scared to complain about conditions that make our kids sick. All the while, developers hollow out our communities, demolishing homes and building luxury flats we can never afford. The UK has the highest levels of homelessness in the developed world. In some schools, one child in every class is homeless, while councils shell out billions to private equity firms for temporary accommodation. Disabled renters face discrimination and can’t secure accessible homes, while institutionally racist housing associations and council landlords neglect and mismanage estates, damaging our health and letting children such as Awaab Ishak die.
This can’t go on. Now is the time to fight back.
Keir Starmer was elected on a promise to “make housing affordable’’, but his government is super-charging the developer-landlord system. They expect us to believe developers and landlords will fix the housing crisis when these are the people who profit from it most. It’s not a housing crisis, it’s a racket, and this government is making it worse. Another housing system is possible. When we had rent controls, tenants spent much less of our income on rent. When we built council housing at scale, working class people could access affordable and secure housing. We can end the housing crisis if we stop this system of profit and pain, but the government must act now. We need housing that’s affordable and secure. We need a planning system that protects the environment, communities and homes. We need retrofit, not demolition. We need council housing, not private equity firms. We need a government that prioritises spending on council housing not military and intelligence support to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians. We need rent controls, not 20% annual rent rises.
We need change, and we need it now. Let’s unite and fight for rent controls and council housing, standing together against our real enemy, profiteering landlords and developers, not migrants. We need to ramp up the pressure to end this rotten system. As more than 40 organisations, we are calling a national housing demonstration in London on Saturday 18 April.
We demand:
We know our movement can win. Housing campaigners won an end to section 21, and across Europe, tenants are getting organised and winning lower rents. We can win this too, if we fight.
It’s time to end the racket.
Join us on April 18th. Let’s make housing affordable again.
It was amazing to see so many people at the first ever Oxford Renters Union meeting last Sunday. The turnout for a brand-new organisation was incredible – and it says everything about both the need for a renters’ union in Oxford and our shared desire to do something practical to change our city for the better.
Join now to get involved, take part in committee elections, and shape the priorities of our union from the very start.
Join Oxford Renters Union for our first all-members meeting! We’ll be talking about the issues we face as renters in Oxford, about what the new Renters Rights Bill means for our fight, and about how we can use our collective power to resist rent increases. We’ll also be sharing a free community meal together!
For this first meeting, we’re welcoming both current members and anyone who’s interested in joining. All are welcome (as long as you’re not a landlord), including families: just let us know if you have particular needs. The venue is wheelchair-accessible. Sign-ups are free, but please register so we can estimate numbers!
We are pleased to announce that we will officially be launching on the 17th January 2026! Join us for a night of live music, DJs and a free salsa class, as well as chatting to fellow renters about their experiences in Oxford.