Labour's Homelessness Minister has been found to have "evicted tenants" from her property in London, and re-list the address after increasing the rent by "£700 a month".
Homelessness Minister Rushanara Ali kicked out four tenants from her townhouse near the Olympic Park before re-advertising the same four-bedroom property at an increased price, according to an investigation by the i newspaper.
The MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney has previously been vocal on renters' rights and has spoken out against “private renters being exploited".
Under Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill, the Government plans to bring the private rented sector within the minimum standard set for social housing, and would ban landlords who end a tenancy to sell a property from re-listing it for six months.
According to the i, a source close to Ali said the tenants had been informed their tenancy would not be renewed by email and were instead offered a rolling contract.
They were reportedly told the rolling contract was necessary as the property was put up for sale.
Tenant Laura Jackson, a self-employed restaurant owner and one of four people who rented the property, told the paper: “It’s an absolute joke. Trying to get that much money from renters is extortion”.
At the time of ending the tenants’ contract, the firms which managed the property also attempted to charge Ali’s tenants nearly £2000 for the house to be repainted and £395 for professional cleaning.
Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, landlords are prohibited from charging their tenants for professional cleaning, and are prohibited from charging tenants to repaint a home unless serious damage has occurred.
Jackson said: “It was really stressful. It was so much money – nearly £500 each! The property was not clean when we moved in; it was ridiculous and unfair.”
The fees were dropped once Jackson told the agencies they knew their landlord was a Labour MP, she said.
“If we hadn’t known the charges were unlawful, we would have had to pay them. It’s exploitative.”
Jackson added: “I just think it’s morally wrong that MPs can be landlords, especially in their own area. It’s a conflict of interest.”
After failing to find a buyer, the house was re-listed for rent at £700 a month more, the paper reports.
A spokesperson said: “Rushanara takes her responsibilities seriously and complied with all relevant legal requirements.”
Momentum, the network of activists that grew out of Jeremy Corbyn’s first Labour leadership election campaign, reacted to the news: "This Government has got its priorities wrong.
"It was quick to suspend four MPs for standing up for disabled people. But when the Cabinet minister for homelessness evicted her tenants to increase rents, it stays silent."
Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty said: "Rushanara Ali's position surely cannot be tenable. She must resign."
