London queer club Heaven is under threat of closure due to an ongoing rent hike dispute with the landlord of the building that houses the venue.
Writing this week on Instagram, Heaven founder Jeremy Joseph said he’d been locked in an arbitration dispute with the club’s landlord, The Arch Company, since September when an automatic rent hike of £80,000 a year was allegedly put forward. That increase has since risen by a further £240,000, totalling £320,000 a year, according to Joseph.
"We’ve been fighting them for five months and they aren’t willing to back down so it’s going to go to arbitration and has cost us already nearly £10,000 in legal fees," Joseph wrote on Instagram. "If you wonder why we’re losing more LGBTQIA+ venues, look no further than LANDLORDS."
Joseph continued: "Watching how so many venues have closed or are struggling because of rent increases, I’m going public with this and letting everyone know what we’re going through. It’s been extremely stressful and the fight has just begun as it’s time to put public pressure on landlords."
Arbitration involves a neutral third party being appointed to resolve a dispute between two parties. The arbitrator’s final decision is then considered legally final.
Heaven has been based in Charing Cross, London since it first opened in 1979. It’s one of the city’s best-loved and most well-known LGBTQIA+-focused venues.
