G-A-Y and Heaven owner begins legal action with landlords over rising rent
"Venues need protecting," Jeremy Joseph has said in a statement
The owner of the G-A-Y and Heaven LGBTQ+ nightclubs, Jeremy Joseph, has said he is taking legal action against Heaven’s landlords over rising rent costs.
Joseph announced on Monday (26 February) that The Arch Company wants “to increase Heaven’s rent by another £240,000 to a total increase of £320,000,” on top of an already £80,000 increase.
Joseph posted a statement on Instagram reading: “If you wonder why hospitality is struggling to survive, if you wonder why so many venues are closing, if you wonder why we are losing more LGBT Venues. Look no further than LANDLORDS.”
“This isn’t just about Heaven, this is about every Hospitality venue” – Jeremy Joseph
It continued by saying that the £80,000 increase started last September. “But thạt isn’t [sic] enough for Archco,” Joseph went on to say. “The fight has started & we are taking Archco to arbitration. Venues need protecting against landlords. More to follow.”
In the caption for the post, Joseph elaborated saying the fight had gone on for the last five “extremely stressful” months. He added that The Arch Company “arent [sic] willing to back down” and that it’s cost Heaven £10,000 already in legal fees.
“Watching how so many venues have closed or are struggling because of rent increases, I am going public with this & letting everyone know what we are going through, its been extremely stressful & the fight has just begun as its time to put public pressure on Landlords, this isn’t just about Heaven, this is about every Hospitality venue because if our rent goes up, it will increase the rent of other venues, because at arbitration, they use other comparable rents to value yours.”
Joseph then called on everyone for their support in keeping LGBTQ+ spaces open warning other venues are also at risk. “Its time to fight back & protect hospitality, to many venues have closed, including G-A-Y Late,” he closed.
“Heaven is a long term and valued customer and we have been working closely with them to reach an agreement”
Joseph announced in November that G-A-Y Late would close. He mentioned it was due to “external pressures” but only cited COVID-19, building works, and safety issues beyond that.
The owners of The Glory in East London confirmed in December that the historic venue would close its doors. However, they also announced that The Divine would fill in the gap left. No mention of rent increases was made.
In August 2022 Above the Stag in Vauxhall announced its closure due to financial challenges.
Responding to Joseph’s statement a spokesperson for The Arch Company told Attitude: “Heaven is a long term and valued customer and we have been working closely with them to reach an agreement on the market rent for their premises. Unfortunately, we have not been able to agree this between ourselves and so an independent third party has now been appointed to help resolve.”
Joseph declined to comment to Attitude at this time