Labour's minister for homelessness 'evicted tenants' before 'hiking rent by £700-a-month'
Labour's homelessness minister has been found to have ‘evicted tenants' from her east London property - only to re-list the address months later after upping the rent by '£700 a month'.
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Rushanara Ali was found to have kicked out four tenants from her inner-city townhouse before going on to re-advertise the same four-bedroom property for around £700 more per calendar month.
The Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney has previously been vocal about renters' rights and “private renters being exploited".
Yet, the MP is now facing criticism over her decision to evict the tenants from the townhouse, located less than a mile from London's Olympic Park, only to raise the rent upon re-listing the property.
Ms Ali, who has previously criticised private landlords and publicly backs Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill, was found to have hiked the rent following an investigation by the iPaper.
The bill, which is set to become law next year, is designed to stop the exploitation of the private rental market, with the new regulations aiming to stop landlords from re-letting their property at an increased rental price within six months of evicting tenants to sell it.
According to the paper, a source close to Ali said the tenants had been informed their tenancy would not be renewed and were instead offered a rolling contract.
They were told the rolling contract was necessary as the property was put up for sale.
After failing to find a buyer, the house was re-listed for rent, the paper reports.
A spokesperson said: “Rushanara takes her responsibilities seriously and complied with all relevant legal requirements.”
Conservative shadow Housing Secretary, James Cleverly, said Ms Ali should “consider her position,” branding the situation “an example of the most extreme hypocrisy.”
The investigation found that until as recently as March last year, Ms Ali had been renting the house for £3,300 per calendar month.
Less than six months later, in November 2024, her four tenants were informed that their long-term lease would not be renewed.
Instead, the tenants were told the agreement would switch to a rolling contract and were given four months’ notice.
However, within weeks of their departure, the property reappeared online for nearly £4,000-a-month.
When the news outlet visited the address on Wednesday, new tenants confirmed they had moved in “four or five months ago”, with the monthly rent around £4,000 a month.
