Keir Starmer has criticised a Labour MP who has been accused of renting out flats with black mould and ant infestations, calling the conditions “unacceptable”.
The prime minister addressed the accusations against Jas Athwal, the MP for Ilford South, on Monday after a report by the BBC quoted several of his tenants complaining about the conditions in the properties they rented from him. One said there were ants “everywhere”, adding: “They are on my kid’s body and on their clothes.”
The accusations are particularly embarrassing for Labour given that the government is preparing to launch a renters’ rights bill aimed at improving protections for people living in rented accommodation. Renters’ rights groups are calling on Athwal to resign and say he could have broken the law as he told the BBC he did not rent to tenants who claim housing benefit.
Asked about the allegations on Monday, Starmer said: “It’s not good enough. It’s unacceptable for any landlord, and I’ll be really clear about that. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a Labour MP or anybody else, it’s unacceptable. What’s happened in this case is this MP has now recognised that, is taking the necessary measures to put it right. The sooner that’s done, the better, but I’m not going to pretend to you or anybody else that this is in any way acceptable.”
Asked why Athwal had not been punished and whether he could be if the situation did not improve immediately, Starmer said: “It has to be put right. He’s taking action to put it right, we need to do that as quickly as possible.”
Athwal owns 15 flats, making him the largest landlord in the House of Commons. The BBC revealed last week that several tenants said they had to clean their bathroom ceilings every week to remove mould. One said: “The whole ceiling would be black if we didn’t clean it every few weeks.”
A reporter for the broadcaster said they had seen evidence of ant infestations in multiple properties. Communal areas were dirty, lights did not work, fire alarms were hanging loose from the ceiling and a washing machine had been dumped next to a set of stairs, the BBC reported.
Athwal said in response: “I pride myself on being a good landlord and no tenants have ever been evicted. Repairs and improvements have been made to properties as recently as two weeks ago. To ensure tenants enjoy a secure, long-term home, rents are kept below market rate and in many cases rents are frozen at the rate first agreed.”
The MP admitted his properties did not have the correct licences required under a scheme he had brought forward as leader of Redbridge council. He later sacked his lettings agent and issued another statement saying: “I am shocked and sickened by the series of problems that have come to light and I am unreservedly sorry to all my tenants for the bad experience they have endured.”
Tom Darling, the director of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said: “Loose fire alarms, ants, black mould, and threats of eviction for tenants that dared to complain – the appalling conditions experienced by Jas Athwal’s tenants are all too common for renters across the country. It is absolutely unacceptable for anyone to provide this standard of housing, let alone a sitting MP. We must see urgent and wide-reaching reforms to get a grip on the renting crisis and tackle negligent landlords.”
The London Renters Union has written to Redbridge council, where Athwal remains a councillor, to demand that it investigate him over possible housing law violations. The LRU, which represents more than 7,000 renters, pointed out that in his initial response to the BBC, Athwal said he did not rent to tenants who claim housing benefit, to prevent any conflict of interest with his former role as council leader.
In 2020 a district judge ruled that a landlord who excluded tenants on housing benefit was in breach of the Equality Act, which was brought in by Labour in 2010.
A spokesperson for the LRU said: “Anyone who discriminates against people who receive benefits and puts their tenants at such risk by ignoring housing safety laws is clearly not fit to be an MP.”
Athwal said: “I want to be clear, in my previous comments I was referring to tenants being placed directly by Redbridge Council specifically, it’s this conflict of interest I was preventing while renting properties while serving as the Leader of the Council.
“I do have tenants who are in receipt of housing benefit. I do not condone or accept discriminatory practices.”
