Peter Rachman: The Infamous Slum Landlord
His name literally became a dictionary word for slum landlord exploitation. Peter Rachman exploited post-war rent control loopholes in Notting Hill.
It is rare for a property investor to become so infamous that their name enters the Oxford English Dictionary. 'Rachmanism' is defined as the exploitation and intimidation of tenants by unscrupulous landlords, named after the Polish-born Peter Rachman who operated in West London in the 1950s and 60s.
Exploiting the Rent Act
Following WWII, the UK had strict rent controls that prevented landlords from raising rents or evicting sitting tenants. However, the Rent Act 1957 contained a loophole: properties became 'decontrolled' if the sitting tenant moved out. Rachman bought cheap, run-down properties in Notting Hill full of rent-controlled tenants.
He then used violent intimidation, loud music, and aggressive dogs to force the white working-class tenants out. Once vacant, the properties were decontrolled. Rachman then subdivided the houses into cramped, squalid slums and rented them out at extortionate rates to new West Indian immigrants who faced widespread discrimination and had nowhere else to go. His legacy prompted the government to introduce the Protection from Eviction Act 1964.