Tenants win £260,000 of rent back in legal fight with London ‘rogue landlord’
Tenants of two buildings in east London have been awarded a six-figure sum in rent repayments by a tribunal after challenging a billionaire described by a judge as a “rogue landlord”.The group of current and former residents of Olympic House and Simpson House in Hackney took companies owned by John Christodoulou to tribunal for operating unlicensed houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), which meant the buildings were not subject to the safety and quality standards required by law.The London Renters Union, which represents the tenants’ group that brought the claim, said the lack of licensing left residents vulnerable to hazardous conditions, including fire risks due to inadequate safety measures.Cyprus-born Christodoulou, 59, is based in Monaco and, according to the Sunday Times rich list last year, has an estimated wealth of £2.5bn.
The Guardian has contacted his company Yianis Group for comment,Jordan Osserman, a spokesperson for the campaign, said: “This case shows how the law is rigged against renters,Christodoulou makes millions off our rent while flouting the law and cutting corners on safety,”During the hearing earlier in March, the judge in the first-tier tribunal (property chamber), Robert Latham, said: “The respondent can only be characterised as a rogue landlord,”After a lengthy legal battle that began in 2020 – when the landlord rejected residents’ request for rent relief during the Covid-19 crisis, telling them they could use money saved on lunches to pay their rent in full – 46 residents from 15 different flats across Olympic House and Simpson House have been awarded a combined total of £263,555.
68.The ruling forms part of a rent repayment order (RRO).These were introduced in housing legislation in 2016 and empower the property chamber of the first-tier tribunal to force a landlord who has broken the law on housing standards to pay back part, or all, of the rent.There are now concerns that Christodoulou may not pay, despite the order.The London Renters Union said the tenants had discovered that the landlord was attempting to liquidate the companies that the judgments are against after transferring ownership of Olympic House and Simpson House from one company to another within his corporate group at a large loss or undervalue.
Marc Sutton, a member of Somerford Grove Renters, which represents 170 flats in Olympic House, Simpson House and St John’s Court in Hackney, all majority-owned by Christodoulou, said: “This appears to be a deliberate attempt to evade financial responsibility through corporate restructuring.“These tactics highlight how wealthy landlords manipulate corporate structures to avoid accountability while tenants suffer the consequences.”Osserman added: “Even when we win in court, landlords like Christodoulou can game the system to avoid paying up.” He added: “The only way we can fight back is by organising and taking collective action.”
UK government tries to placate opponents of AI copyright bill
The UK government is trying to placate peer and Labour backbencher concerns about copyright proposals by pledging to assess the economic impact of its plans.Creative professionals including Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Tom Stoppard and Kate Bush have strongly criticised ministers’ proposals to let artificial intelligence companies train their models on copyright-protected work without permission, unless the rights holder opts out.Their stance has been supported by peers, who have passed amendments pushing back on the proposals, and by some backbench MPs.It is understood that concessions offered to MPs and peers this week include an economic impact assessment, with a report that could address issues such as how AI developers access data to train their models and transparency around use of copyright-protected works.Ministers are hoping the concessions will allow thethe data (use and access) bill to pass
Tesla quarterly sales slump 13% amid backlash against Elon Musk
Tesla reported a 13% drop in vehicle sales in the first three months of the year, making it the electric vehicle maker’s worst quarter since 2022. It’s another sign that Elon Musk’s once high-flying electric car company is struggling to attract buyers.The drop is probably due to a combination of factors, including its ageing lineup, competition from rivals and a backlash from Musk’s embrace of rightwing politics. It also is a warning that the company’s first-quarter earnings report later this month could disappoint investors.Tesla reported deliveries of 336,681 vehicles globally in the January-March quarter
Italian police increase security at Tesla dealerships after 17 cars destroyed in Rome fire
Italy’s interior ministry has written to police forces across the country to increase security at Tesla dealerships after 17 of the electric cars made by Elon Musk’s company were destroyed in a fire in Rome.Italy’s state police anti-terrorism unit, Digos, is investigating whether the fire at the Tesla dealership in Torre Angela, a suburb in the east of the capital, was started by anarchists.Firefighters worked for hours to put out the blaze in the early hours of Monday. Drone images showed a row of the burnt-out remains of the vehicles in a parking area of the dealership. Using his social media platform, X, Musk referred to it as “terrorism”
Roblox gives parents more power over children’s activity on gaming platform
Parents can now block their children from communicating with specific friends or playing certain games on Roblox, an online gaming platform popular with children.The changes form part of a suite of safety updates intended to give parents more control over their child’s experience on the platform.From Wednesday, parents and caregivers who identify themselves with an ID or credit card will have access to three new tools. The friend management tool means they can block anyone on their child’s friends list, preventing their child from exchanging direct messages with that account, and report people they believe are violating Roblox policies.They can also review and change the content maturity level for their child’s account, determining which games their child can access, and obtain detailed screen-time insights
Trump to consider final proposal on TikTok as US ban deadline looms
Donald Trump will consider a “final proposal” over the sale of TikTok’s US operations on Wednesday, according to reports, as a Saturday deadline looms for the Chinese-controlled app to find a buyer.The White House is finalising plans for a deal involving US investors, possibly including the tech firm Oracle and the private equity firm Blackstone, CBS News reported. Even Amazon has thrown in a last-minute bid to buy the popular social media app, according to multiple reports.TikTok’s parent, the Beijing-based ByteDance, has until 5 April to sell the app’s US unit or be banned in the country, under an executive order signed by the US president.The potential transaction, which is reportedly a “final proposal”, will involve new investors such as Blackstone joining existing non-Chinese shareholders in ByteDance in providing fresh capital to bid for the business, Reuters reported
UK needs to relax AI laws or risk transatlantic ties, thinktank warns
Tony Blair’s thinktank has urged the UK to relax copyright laws in order to let artificial intelligence firms build new products, as it warned a tougher approach could strain the transatlantic relationship.The Tony Blair Institute said enforcing firm copyright measures would strain ties with the US, which is poised to announce tariffs on UK goods on Wednesday.Warning that geopolitical considerations require “urgent and adequate attention” while AI policy is being drafted, TBI said: “Without similar provisions in the United States, it would be hard for the UK government to enforce strict copyright laws without straining the transatlantic relationship it has so far sought to nurture.”The thinktank has said that if the UK went down the route of demanding licensing of all UK content used in AI models, it would simply push that development work to other territories where there are less strict copyright laws. To enforce a strict licensing model, the UK would also need to restrict access to models that have been trained on such content, which could include US-owned AI systems
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