Wrote about Asif Aziz's Criterion Capital and how landlords are changing strategies - with more evictions and changes in tenancies - ahead of the Renters Rights Act.
Building on great reporting by @jim.londoncentric.media @pollysmythe.bsky.social and others as.ft.com/r/97c52505-0...
Sadiq Khan’s letter to Asif Aziz. The mayor met Asif Aziz only last week at an Aziz Foundation charitable event. A week later, Aziz isn’t responding to the mayor.
Breaking:
*Asif Aziz's mass evictions of Londoners appear to be BACK ON
*Sadiq Khan personally demands immediate response from the landlord
*Leading homelessness charity cuts ties with the Aziz family and refuses donation
*Questions over legality of paperwork
www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-...
On Sunday, @londoncentric.media broke the story that Asif Aziz’s Criterion Capital was undertaking London’s “worst mass eviction in recent history” - after our investigation, hundreds of tenants who received section 21s have now had them rescinded www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-...
Sadiq Khan's spokesperson on story: “It is completely unacceptable for Criterion Capital to evict hundreds of people out of their homes due to no fault of their own. The Deputy Mayor for Housing has contacted Criterion to make the Mayor’s position clear and strongly urge them to reconsider."
Thank you so much Hettie, means a lot!
Many residents I spoke to said this was a clear effort to turf them out ahead of the renters’ rights bill in May
This story began as one single tip about evictions in Colliers Wood and grew into a tale about the mass clear out of nearly all private tenants from the Aziz family’s vast property portfolio, seemingly to replace them with more profitable temporary accommodation
I’ve spent the last few days piecing together London’s “worst mass eviction in recent history” along with @jim.londoncentric.media. The landlord responsible? Asif Aziz’s Criterion Capital www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-...
This started as a single tip about one building but on a hunch we got @pollysmythe.bsky.social to chase around London and check all the Aziz family’s properties. Sometimes she got there just before the eviction notices. The scale of the clearout is enormous – and we don't think we found all of it.
Earlier this week the Aziz family stood with Sadiq Khan on stage and praised London’s community values. Now they’re conducting a sudden clearout of almost all private tenants from their vast residential property holdings, seemingly to replace them with more profitable temporary accommodation.
London’s “worst mass eviction in recent history” is underway; hundreds of households across London told to get out of their homes this week by the same landlord, ahead of the renters rights act. The landlord? Billionaire Asif Aziz’s Criterion Capital. www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-...
Hate-filled fake videos about London are everywhere. We've obtained a recording of a TikToker confessing to secretly filming Londoners in their homes for clicks.
He says it's not political. He just wants to make money from far-right anger.
Read what he says: www.londoncentric.media/p/london-tik...
been trying to track down Waymo's self-driving hq in London, just going to be endlessly intriguing to see how the capital copes! Could be totally second nature normal to get a robotaxi to the pub by the start of next year. www.londoncentric.media/i/185941171/...
This is one of the strangest and most screwed-up stories I’ve worked on. www.londoncentric.media/p/tiktok-lon...
Fire on London's Loughborough Estate this morning. Seemingly now under control per @pollysmythe.bsky.social who is there on the ground, but will focus attention on an estate we've investigated wild claims of corruption and illegal chemical storage: www.londoncentric.media/p/the-london...
Nine years ago a Twitter user was sending poetry to Sadiq Khan about London’s many cultural identities. A decade on, Reform UK’s mayoral candidate doesn’t dispute it was her old account - so what’s changed?
Our profile of Laila Cunningham: www.londoncentric.media/p/laila-cunn...
London Centric has obtained Reform UK's internal candidate training slides for next year's local elections.
How does the party plan to win big in London? “Don’t drink and tweet”, focus on potholes and bins, and stay off social media.
Read all here: www.londoncentric.media/p/reform-uk-...
Among other issues with Zipcar's model in London: Having to negotiate individually with 32 boroughs, some of which charged thousands of pounds per car. Meanwhile, Croydon council outsourced much of their employee car fleet to Zipcar and may be a bit screwed. www.londoncentric.media/p/zipcar-lon...
Decided to provide some budget counter-programming, here’s some London transport trends over the last year. www.londoncentric.media/p/tfl-london...
The brutal reality of life as an Android owner in London: First you’re shocked as you’re mugged. Then you’re humiliated as the thief returns the device. www.londoncentric.media/p/london-pho...
London's thieves are burying phones in flowerbeds - it was great fun to work on this bizarre story for @londoncentric.media www.londoncentric.media/p/london-pho...
