It is believed that Harvey & Wheeler, a long-established Dulwich estate and letting agency, is the company involved with the property at the heart of chancellor Rachel Reeves’ unlicensed home controversy, having recently advertised the property to let.
Reeves admitted last night that her Dulwich home was rented out without the selective licence required by Southwark Council, describing the oversight as “an inadvertent mistake.” The property was advertised at an asking rent of £3,200 a month while Reeves resided at 11 Downing Street.
There is no evidence to suggest that Harvey & Wheeler acted improperly or without due diligence, but the extent of the agency’s involvement cannot be verified, as it declined to comment when approached this morning by Property Industry Eye.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing on the company’s part.
Conservative Party chair Kevin Hollinrake has seized on the controversy, resharing a tweet by the chancellor in which she publicly supported the expansion of landlord licensing rules in Leeds, her home constituency.
Reeves tweeted last week: “I welcome Leeds City Council’s decision to expand their selective landlord licencing policy to include the Armley area. While many private landlords operate in the right way, we know that lots of private tenants in Armley face problems with poorly maintained housing.”
Following the discovery of the error yesterday, Reeves reported the matter to the prime minister’s independent ethics adviser and wrote a letter of apology to Sir Keir Starmer, admitting the oversight.
After consulting the adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, the PM said that the chancellor’s apology was “sufficient” and that no further action would be taken.
Is Rachel Reeves or her letting agency at fault for unlicensed rental property?
Read the orginal article: https://propertyindustryeye.com/eye-newsflash-revealed-the-letting-agency-believed-to-be-at-the-centre-of-rachel-reeves-unlicensed-home-debacle/
