by Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC)
Tenants on the St James Estate in Southwark, South London, are fighting mass evictions and unaffordable rent rises after corporate landlord BMR Group Ltd began trying to force residents from their homes. Campaigners understand that BMR Group plans to convert the estate into unlicensed houses in multiple occupation (HMO), increasing rental income for the landlord.
In November 2025, Folio London, the private rental sector arm of Notting Hill Genesis housing association, sold the estate to BMR Group Ltd.
More than 100 families now face losing their homes. Fifty households have already been issued with ‘Section 21’ eviction notices, while others have been hit with rent rises of between £250 and £900 a month.
In May 2026, tenants came together to form an official Tenants and Residents Association (TRA) to help each other stay in their homes and resist mistreatment by their landlord.
Abigail Bunyan, a tenant from the estate who is facing eviction, said: “These houses are not an investment, they are homes that people have raised kids in, raised grandkids in, and the people of this community being treated like this is beyond detestable.”
Urgent demands on the council
Under the Housing and Planning Act 2016 and the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, campaigners say the council has a statutory duty to enforce housing standards. They are calling on the council to:
- Use its investigatory powers urgently and fully: launch an immediate investigation into BMR’s actions on the estate
- Reject HMO licence applications: refuse all applications from BMR to convert homes into HMOs
- Seek a banning order: prevent BMR from renting out residential accommodation or playing any role in the property sector
- Update the national rogue landlord database: ensure BMR is added to the National Database of Rogue Landlords and Property Agents
- Blacklist BMR from public partnerships: exclude the company from all current and future council procurement and partnership frameworks
- Provide free legal advice: support tenants facing eviction, rent hikes, and landlord pressure
More fundamentally, campaigners say the council must support the TRA’s demand for the St James Estate to be taken out of the private rental market and brought under public ownership.