Daniel Clark and Marelize Vanzyl at the properties in Carleton Road

RESIDENTS who have resisted eviction for more than a year say that they will not move until the bailiffs come.

Tenants at 45-49 Carleton Road have been receiving notices that they must leave from their landlord Theori housing since 2023.

One resident, Daniel Clark, told the Tribune: “Most people have gone. A lot of people didn’t know their rights, they just upped and left.

“There were a few of us who stuck around. I think there’s about 10 of us left, but they’re dropping like flies.”

Mr Clark has challenged the decision in court, with a judgement in his favour, and Theori was ordered to pay him over £1,000 and cover the costs of his legal fees. But just over a week later, the private homes company served him with another eviction notice.

Islington-born Mr Clark said that this puts him at risk of homelessness. He said: “If I had to leave here it would mean I’m homeless. At the moment I’m not working. I’m on benefits because I’m not well enough to work. I do Deliveroo, but … I’ve started going blind in one eye, which means I can’t go out and ride.”

He added: “Getting kicked out, it means I don’t get to see my son any more, because he can only come here because I’ve got a flat. I get him on the weekends and I get him on all the holidays. So, for me, it would be a kick back to seven years when I didn’t have anything. It took me time to build up what I’ve got here”.

With more than 16,500 people waiting for social housing in Islington the council is often forced to house people outside of the borough.

Mr Clark said: “I’m born and bred in Islington. I’ve been here my whole life. My mum lives round the corner, my little sister lives here, my whole family. It’s my community. I know that going to the council, the first thing they’re going to do is try and ship me out far away.”

Meanwhile, 29 units in Carleton Road are being used for temporary accommodation under contracts Theori housing holds with Islington, Hackney and Barnet councils. Islington Council has a contract for 58 temporary accommodation units with Theori across London. Between July and September of 2024 alone, Theori charged the Town Hall £220,000 for temporary accommodation.

Theori has previously come under fire in 2020 when it was revealed that it was the third largest provider of temporary accommodation in the UK, receiving millions of pounds from multiple local authorities.

Morag Gillie, a housing campaigner from Islington Homes for All, said that private companies making money from a city-wide housing crisis was “appalling”.

She said: “The problem is the long-term failure of successive governments to build council housing. The council themselves are now relying on the private sector to house people who are eligible for council housing. These private developers are then allowed to make huge profits off the back of people’s poverty and hardship”.

Ms Gillie called for the government to bring in rent caps on developers. adding: “We’re going to see more deregulation which will allow private companies to hoover up accommodation and set the rents at the highest level because the council has to pay for temporary accommodation.”

A spokesperson for Theori said: “Theori has complied with all legal requirements when issuing notices to tenants. These decisions are never taken lightly and are based on broader considerations such as property management, contractual obligations, and the effective use of available units to meet housing demand.

“While we acknowledge the court’s decision in Mr Clark’s favour on 17 October 2024, we respectfully exercised our legal rights to serve a new notice under applicable laws. Each case is carefully reviewed to ensure compliance with all legal standards.

“The vacated units at Carleton Road are being used to address an urgent need for temporary accommodation in collaboration with Local Authorities. The demand for such accommodation remains high due to the shortage of social housing across London.”

“Our goal is to ensure that the property is utilised efficiently to provide housing solutions that align with local authority priorities.

“We are actively working with our partners to maximise the potential of these units to support those in critical need of housing.”

They added: “We strongly refute any suggestion that Theori’s actions are purely profit-driven. The need for temporary accommodation reflects a systemic issue tied to the broader housing crisis.

“Theori works within this framework to deliver solutions for local authorities and their residents while maintaining operational sustainability.”