ACORN’s Slumlord Awards Turn Up the Heat on London’s Worst Landlords – and the City for Enabling Them!

LONDON, ON— On Monday, July 14th, over 50 London ACORN members and allies gathered in Victoria Park for something this city’s slumlords definitely didn’t like—our first Slumlord of the Year Awards!

Armed with chant sheets, handmade signs, and a full lineup of horror stories from tenants across the city, ACORN members came ready to call out London’s worst landlords and demand real solutions, starting with full landlord licensing.

We kicked things off at the bandshell, where ACORN leader Farrah Sherrard welcomed the crowd and got everyone warmed up with chants like:

• “Slumlords, slumlords, you can’t hide — we can see your greedy side!”
• “If they won’t fix it, we will fight! ACORN’s power is tenant might!

The crowd brought the energy, and even a few drummers joined in to give the event a parade vibe as we marched downtown (HUGE shoutout to Action Beats Collective for joining us for this action and keeping the beats hot!)

But before the march, it was time to hand out some “awards.” Tenants stepped up to the mic to share shocking stories of what it’s like to live under a slumlord. From years of ignored repairs, to chronic pest infestations, to water leaking out of light fixtures (yes, really.)

Among the dishonourable mentions was Michael Klein, who took home the Homewrecker of the Year award for his ongoing mistreatment of tenants, especially seniors and low-income renters. Also recognized was Old Oak Properties, who finally made repairs after a big ACORN campaign but still refuses to meet with the tenant union. They earned the “ACORN Made Them Do It” award.

And then came the big winners (or losers, depending how you look at it):

• Gold: Medallion Corporation – for housing more roaches than people, repeatedly marking tenant repair requests as “complete” with zero follow up, endless management and maintenance issues, and so much more.
• Silver: LMCH — that’s right, the City’s own housing provider. If you’ve seen our action in March at 85 Walnut Street, you already know why LMCH scored so high on the list.
• Bronze: CapREIT – for constant rent hikes despite poor housing conditions many of their tenants live with in London.

Then it was time to march! With drums, banners, and chants echoing through the streets, ACORN members made their way to City Hall. Once there, we delivered dozens of property standards complaints and one final trophy: the Slumlord Enabler of the Year Award… straight to the City of London.

Why? Because the City refuses to license big corporate landlords despite their horrible track records.

Right now, London only licenses small landlords. Meanwhile, the biggest, worst corporate landlords get off scot-free with no inspections, no enforcement, and no accountability. That’s why ACORN is calling for a real, city-wide landlord licensing system that applies to ALL landlords and includes:

• Proactive inspections (no more waiting until things are falling apart)
• Publicly-posted inspection grades for buildings (so tenants know what they’re getting into with a new apartment!)
  • Buildings with a poor inspection grade would be inspected more frequently, buildings with good grades would be inspected less often.
• Fines and penalties for non-compliance
• Tenant outreach and education — in partnership with ACORN!

We even shared data from nearly eighty tenant survey responses showing how bad it really is for tenants in London:

• 84% said repairs take too long or never happen
• 60% reported ongoing pest issues
• And over half said repairs never get done at all!

And what is the City doing about it? Not much. So ACORN is turning up the heat!

If you missed the action, don’t worry — we’re just getting started. Come to our next city-wide strategy session on Tuesday, August 12th at 6:30PM at the ACORN office to help plan what’s next.

Also, don’t forget to sign ACORN’s online action for Landlord Licensing in London! For every person who signs, an email will be sent to city council calling for landlord licensing!

London ACORN’s first-ever Slumlord Awards made it clear: tenants are organized, fed up, and ready to fight back. ACORN members showed the city that slumlords won’t get away with neglect any longer, and neither will the City for enabling them. This is just the beginning. The slumlords are on notice and so is City Hall.