It transpires that housing minister Rushanara Ali resigned last night after sharp criticism from activists in Generation Rent and the London Labour party.
The row blew up following an article in the I newspaper yesterday by its housing correspondent, Vicky Spratt. The article said four tenants who rented the house owned by Ali in east London were sent an email last November giving them four months’ notice. Ali previously let the four bedroom home near the capital’s Olympic Park for £3,300 a month but after the four were evicted it was re-listed at £4,000 a month. It was allegedly re-let when an attempt to find a buyer failed.
Ali resigned last evening after numerous calls for her to go.
Before that, Ben Twomey, chief executive of campaign group Generation Rent, said: “These allegations are shocking and a wake-up call to government on the need to push ahead as quickly as possible to improve protections for renters.
“It is bad enough when any landlord turfs out their tenant to hike up the rent, or tries their luck with unfair claims on the deposit, but the minister responsible for homelessness knows only too well about the harm caused by this behaviour.”
Other Labour activists have also been angered by Ali.
Jess Barnard, a former chair of Young Labour and a member of Labour’s National Executive Committee said on social media: “Seems an appropriate time to reiterate MPs should not be landlords, and landlords should not be Labour MPs.”
And Martin Abrams, a Labour councillor in Lambeth, south London, posted: “You couldn’t make this up! Rushanara Ali should resign #LandlordsOutOfLabour.”
The property had been managed on behalf of the Bethnal Green and Stepney MP by two lettings agencies who, the I claims, attempted to charge the tenants nearly £2,000 for the house to be repainted and £395 for professional cleaning.
Landlords are prohibited from charging tenants for professional cleaning or to repaint a home under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, unless there has been serious damage.
The former homelessness minister had previously spoken out against “private renters being exploited” and has promised Labour will “empower people to challenge unreasonable rent increases”.
Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill, which will become law next year, prohibits landlords who have ended a tenancy in order to sell a property from relisting it for higher rent until at least six months after tenants have moved out.
The chief executive of the activist group Generation Rent has sharply criticised the government housing minister at the centre of an eviction controversy.
The I newspaper claims that four tenants who rented a house owned by housing minister Rushanara Ali in east London were sent an email last November giving them four months’ notice; the paper says the the property was then re-listed shortly after the tenants moved out, at £700 a month more than the previous rent level.
The I’s housing correspondent, Vicky Spratt, claims Ali previously let the four bedroom home near the capital’s Olympic Park for £3,300 a month but it was re-listed at £4,000 a month. It was allegedly re-let when an attempt to find a buyer failed.
Ali has a specific responsibility as minister for homelessness and Ben Twomey – chief executive of campaign group Generation Rent and a former Labour election candidate – says: “These allegations are shocking and a wake-up call to government on the need to push ahead as quickly as possible to improve protections for renters.
“It is bad enough when any landlord turfs out their tenant to hike up the rent, or tries their luck with unfair claims on the deposit, but the minister responsible for homelessness knows only too well about the harm caused by this behaviour.”
Other Labour activists have also been angered by Ali.
Jess Barnard, a former chair of Young Labour and a member of Labour’s National Executive Committee said on social media: “Seems an appropriate time to reiterate MPs should not be landlords, and landlords should not be Labour MPs.” And Martin Abrams, a Labour councillor in Lambeth, south London, posted “You couldn’t make this up! Rushanara Ali should resign #LandlordsOutOfLabour.”
Conservative shadow Housing Secretary, James Cleverly, says Ali should consider resigning as the allegations “would be an example of the most extreme hypocrisy and she should not have the job as homelessness minister.”
The property had been managed on behalf of the Bethnal Green and Stepney MP by two lettings agencies who, the I claims, attempted to charge the tenants nearly £2,000 for the house to be repainted and £395 for professional cleaning.
Landlords are prohibited from charging tenants for professional cleaning or to repaint a home under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, unless there has been serious damage.
The homelessness minister has previously spoken out against “private renters being exploited” and has promised Labour will “empower people to challenge unreasonable rent increases”.
Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill, which will become law next year, prohibits landlords who have ended a tenancy in order to sell a property from relisting it for higher rent until at least six months after tenants have moved out.
