Landlord McMahon – The full story on our recent actions
Recently, our activists over a period of days took action against well known slum landlord Michael McMahon.
Mickey, as he is known, and who manages and owns well over 200 houses, is renowned in renter circles for his “aggressive pursuit of every single penny he can squeeze”, says Lasair Dhearg spokesperson Aindriú Mac Ruaidhrí.
He continued: “Recently, Mickey has issued threatening letters to scores of his tenants who are unable to pay their rent for properties that they cannot stay in during this ongoing covid-19 pandemic. In these letters, McMahon has not only shown his complete disregard for the situation faced by those already marginalised by the crisis, but has heaped more misery upon their misfortune by increasing their bills with hundreds of pounds in fines.”
“Given McMahons history and his unscrupulous and aggressive stance toward his tenants, we have been following his case for some time. Following interaction with countless current and former tenants of his, our activists have recorded and collated many examples in a long list of behaviours over a prolonged period. These include deposit theft, letting out unregistered HMOs, evictions, illegal letting fees, and avoiding making necessary repairs to inhabited property. Allegations have also emerged of harassment and walking in on tenants whilst in the shower or getting changed, and refusing to leave when asked, in a complete invasion of their physical and personal privacy within their homes.”
“For these reasons and more we decided to highlight the situation in a very public fashion, to let those currently organising against McMahon know they are not alone, and so that he and others like him know that their behaviour is not going unnoticed.”
A number of banners were placed throughout the Holyland area of South Belfast stating ‘Welcome to landlord controlled Holyland’ and ‘Mickey McMahon Slum Landlord’. The latter banner, says Aindriú, “was draped across the front windows of McMahons office, which is situated in the middle of his Holyland housing empire.”
“As part of our ongoing observations, we noted that soon after McMahon removed the banners, he held a meeting with three other individuals as marked and unmarked PSNI vehicles stalked the district. Further enquiries revealed that these men were other well known landlords active in the area. It would seem, as renters are now getting organised in the area, so too are the landlords.”
“McMahons case is not a standalone issue. Him and his ilk have refined their behaviour over a very long period of time; and in a manner which allows them to wring every last penny out of their tenants through various ‘legal’ but clearly immoral processes. Ours is an economy based on the virtue of the ‘Free Market’ and the business interests of the rich. Their activities are conducted within the framework laid out by the state; which not only allows people like McMahon to exist but welcomes it.”
“The working class have been fighting tooth and nail for generations against the McMahons of this world. That fight has also been conducted within the framework of the state and its laws; and we are losing.”
“We must now begin to think outside that framework.”
