Blackhorse Road barbershop Timmy Tapers were given notice to leave the Blackhorse Road warehouse they operated early last month, reports Marco Marcelline

The owners of a barbershop in a Blackhorse Lane warehouse say they “naively” thought Waltham Forest Council would keep them on as a long‑term tenant.

Timmy Tapers Barbershop had initially shared a Lockwood Way warehouse with Wild Card Brewery until the boozer went into liquidation in October 2024. When the council repossessed the unit, a tenancy‑at‑will agreement was issued to allow the barbershop and a neighbouring bakery to remain in the space temporarily.

A tenancy‑at‑will agreement is a flexible, informal rental arrangement allowing a tenant to occupy property with the landlord’s consent without a fixed term or formal lease. 

It can be terminated immediately by either party at any time without notice, providing maximum flexibility but no security of tenure.

Despite the ad‑hoc nature of the contract, Tim Cox and Lauren Hogg of Timmy Tapers say they were never told the council expected them to start looking for a new site as soon as they signed it.

In March this year, prospective sub‑landlord East London Brewing Company (ELBC) informed Tim and Lauren the HMRC would not grant the brewery operational approval if Timmy Tapers remained on site.

The Echo understands that HMRC’s concern related to Timmy Tapers customers being able to access the brewery floor and interventions to permanently block off public access between the two businesses were deemed cost‑prohibitive.

Following this revelation, Tim contacted the council who said ELBC would not be taking Timmy Tapers on as a sub‑tenant and they would need to be out of the building by Tuesday, 31st March.

Speaking to the Echo, ELBC director Ronnie Finch rejected Timmy Tapers’ description of the events as an “eviction”, saying: “That assertion is incorrect. There is no security of tenure in a tenancy at will agreement, and Timmy Tapers was generously given far more time than necessary by Waltham Forest to vacate the premises given there is no minimum notice period legally required when ending this type of agreement.”

Ronnie added: “They would have known the arrangement was short term, and perhaps in advance looking for a new premises under the circumstances would have been prudent. The council is not at fault here ‑ they did everything they could have.”

In correspondence to council officials seen by the Echo, Tim and Lauren say the events had left “a family with a small child, another due in three months’ time, without a stable income”.

They add: “We were under the impression that our occupation would be formalised or ‘absorbed’ under any new head‑lease arrangement. Had we been informed that our tenure was at the sole discretion of ELBC, we would have initiated a search for new premises months ago.”

Asked if they had placed too much faith in the council to go above and beyond what the terms of their contact stipulated – given they had no security of tenure – Lauren said: “Yes, I guess you can call us naive. But we’d paid nearly £21,000 in rent to the council over the years; we honestly thought they would treat us better.”

Council deputy leader Ahsan Khan said Waltham Forest had ensured the barbershop “did not have to immediately vacate” after Wild Card’s collapse and that they had time “from October 2024 to seek a longer‑term home”.

A council spokesperson said: “The council works hard to support local businesses. We are always keen to help them find their feet and thrive in Waltham Forest.

 “The barbershop was sub-letting the unit from former tenants Wildcard Brewery. When Wildcard went into administration their lease was terminated. 

“We quickly arranged a tenancy at will for the barbers in October 2024 to ensure that they did not have to immediately vacate and to give them ample opportunity to consider their options as we worked with a new tenant, East London Brewing Company (ELBC), to take over the lease. 

“ELBC are now implementing their plans for the units in line with their lease agreement. The October 2024 tenancy at will contract is clear that it can be terminated by either party.

“Earlier this month, the council contacted the owners of the barber and shared a list of premises available under the council’s commercial lettings. We will continue to try and work with them to find a solution.”

Lauren, who disputes the couple were sent a list of available lettings, says she and Tim are still searching for a new location for Timmy Tapers three weeks after leaving the Lockwood Way warehouse.

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