Overview
- Rachel Reeves acknowledged she rented out her Dulwich home without Southwark’s required selective landlord licence, apologised, applied for the licence and notified the independent ethics adviser and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
- An exchange of letters shows Keir Starmer consulted Sir Laurie Magnus and concluded a further investigation under the Ministerial Code was unnecessary given the apology and prompt remedial action.
- Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and shadow chancellor Mel Stride called for a full probe, with opposition figures saying Reeves should face consequences if she broke the law, while the Liberal Democrats urged swift scrutiny.
- Southwark Council’s scheme makes unlicensed letting a criminal offence with possible unlimited fines or rent repayment orders, though council guidance indicates an initial informal approach when landlords cooperate to remedy breaches.
- The four-bedroom property was advertised at £3,200 a month and declared on Reeves’s register since September 2024, and her team says she relied on a letting agent; the row lands weeks before her 26 November Budget.