Wednesday, February 27, 2008

foxtons consequences



House prices directly affect the accessibility and availability of housing for everyone, but especially the working class - for us, particularly, the housing squeeze is increasing.

The social housing stock is decreasing whilst waiting lists increase. This inevitably leaves the options down to private rentals or owner occupation. However housing costs impact on rents, private rentals being considerably more expensive than those for social housing, and clearly purchase price puts most houses well out of reach for many people.

The trouble with Foxtons, and their ilk, is that they artificially inflate prices to increase their commissions. They also expand their operations into traditional working class areas which, together with their pricing policies, further restricts housing availability for the working class.

We should all support Class War's picket at Foxtons, the target is justified.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Picket Foxtons, 3pm, 3rd March


CLASS WAR PRESS RELEASE:

Picket Foxtons: Islington Branch, 3 pm March 3rd:

Monday March 3rd at 3pm sees Class War's picket of Foxtons in Islington, in a demonstration against the greatest con-men of our time - estate agents.

We've been ripped off by them, and are sick of them driving up house prices in our part of town.

So come along and tell one of the worst of the lot, Foxtons, what you think of them.

Foxtons Islington branch at 355 Upper Street will be picketed from 3pm - 7pm on Monday 3rd March.

There is however a lot that can be done before then (and afterwards!) - and not just towards Foxtons. Many estate agents routinely break the law by placing advertising signs without permission on council property, and sometimes on private property. One very simple way to fight back against the damage estate agents are doing to our communities is simply to take these signs down where ever you find them. Don't let them advertise - illegally - over-priced properties in your community.

Take these signs down, and return them to the estate agents concerned - the bigger this campaign gets, the better it gets for us, and the worse it gets for the likes of Foxtons.

Lets get busy!



NOTES:

The BBC TV Whistleblower programme found agents putting forward false offers, faking landlords' signatures and falsifying documents to inflate property prices.

Foxtons are here to drive up house prices, it's their avowed intent: their founder Jon Hunt, who sold up last year and pocketed £370 million, liked to talk of 'going to war' for his sellers. Foxtons takes a bigger commission than any other agent to flog each house which it justifies by promising to wring from a buyer the highest possible price.

QUOTES:

"Some of the people I hate most in the world are estate agents. I hate generalisations, but all estate agents are slimy, money obsessed, lying idiots, who went to public school, but still didn't get any A levels and so have to do an essentially unnecessary job for too much money. It's not a generalisation. Show me one estate agent who isn't like that and I will show you an estate agent who has lied to you to convince you that he isn't like that and has thus confirmed just exactly how much he is like that in reality." Richard Herring

"For those of you who don't live in London and have no intention of ever living in London: well, lucky you. Lucky you for not having to put up with......extortionate house prices, but mostly lucky you for not having to put up with Foxtons, the people who sell those houses for extortionate prices." Bryony Gordon

Tel: 07986 041 207
Email: londoncwf@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.classwaruk.org/
http://www.myspace.com/fkfoxtons

Monday, February 18, 2008

northern rock mantra

Privatise profits, socialise risk.

The fuckers.