Labour’s Homelessness Minister has found herself at the centre of controversy after reports that she evicted her tenants before hiking the rent on the property by £700.
The i Paper reports that Rushanara Ali evicted four tenants out of her townhouse in east London, only to then relist the property for £700 a month more in rent. According to the publication, new tenants at the property said they had moved in “four or five months ago” and were paying around £4,000 a month in rent.
If true, this would seem to go against her party’s Renters’ Rights Bill, which will prohibit landlords from relisting a property for higher rent until at least six months after tenants have moved out.
The bill is set to become law next year.
A source close to the Bethnal Green and Bow MP told the i Paper her tenants had been told their tenancy would not be renewed and were offered the chance to stay on a rolling contract before she put the house up for sale. The property was apparently only relisted for rent after Ali did not find a buyer.
A spokesperson for the minister said: “Rushanara takes her responsibilities seriously and complied with all relevant legal requirements.”
When the tenancy ended, agents also allegedly tried to charge almost £2,000 for repainting and £395 for cleaning – fees banned by law unless there’s serious damage. The charges were apparently “dropped” after a tenant told the agents they knew Ali was a Labour MP
One of the former tenants told The i Paper it was an “absolute joke” and accused Ali of “extortion.”
Ali has previously spoken out against “private renters being exploited” and said Labour will “empower people to challenge unreasonable rent increases”.
James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, said the allegations “would be an example of the most extreme hypocrisy and she should not have the job as homelessness minister”.