That new Labour MP’s ten flats with ants and mould…

He says he doesn't take tenants on benefits but I thought that was now illegal?

I don't think either that anything can be done about slum landlords until there's better alternatives for people. I think the only way to stop slum housing is having more council homes.

MissAdventure

Slum landlords need to be taken to task,whichever party they belong to, obviously.

Absolutely. The sooner the better.

Slum landlords need to be taken to task,whichever party they belong to, obviously.

Freya5

No it is relevant. They would be quick to complain if it was done by someone from another party.

As Witzend said in her OP.

Freya5

Doodledog

As parliament hasn't been sitting, there hasn't been much opportunity for howls of outrage. KS was on the News saying that it was unacceptable, whichever party he is from. Much as people have been saying on here, really.

The defence is that the flats were managed by an agency. I'm not at all convinced that this gets him off the hook, though.

Does Parliament havecto be sitting for voicesto be raised.
"Outrageous" is a typical understatement .

No, obviously parliament doesn't have to be sitting for voices to be raised. But raised voices in the wilderness are not going to be heard, are they? Ks was asked by a reporter what he thought, and he said that given the information he had at the time it was unacceptable, regardless of the party. Who knows what people have said up and down the country without being recorded by reporters.

If it is brought up in PMQs on Wednesday we'll get a better idea. I would like to see him sacked, and I would also like to see rent controls and more inspectors to protect the rights of renters, who have suffered badly over the last decade or more.

This is a disgraceful matter and I hope he is dealt with by whoever sorts party discipline. I am angry at a rogue landlord, irrespective of his political party. All rental properties should be registered, and without a licence and certificate of fitness there certainly should not be any housing benefit paid to the landlord.

I believe he has sacked his managing agent; too little, too late

We all know the rules aren’t meant to apply to them. It’s only us plebs that are penalised when we do something like this. What really shocked me was that he casually blamed his agent for “lack of communication”. Some cheek.

Not sure an apology is going to be enough:

propertyindustryeye.com/labour-urged-to-punish-rogue-landlord-mp-for-mould-and-ant-infested-rental-homes/

Doodledog

As parliament hasn't been sitting, there hasn't been much opportunity for howls of outrage. KS was on the News saying that it was unacceptable, whichever party he is from. Much as people have been saying on here, really.

The defence is that the flats were managed by an agency. I'm not at all convinced that this gets him off the hook, though.

Does Parliament havecto be sitting for voicesto be raised.
"Outrageous" is a typical understatement .

As parliament hasn't been sitting, there hasn't been much opportunity for howls of outrage. KS was on the News saying that it was unacceptable, whichever party he is from. Much as people have been saying on here, really.

The defence is that the flats were managed by an agency. I'm not at all convinced that this gets him off the hook, though.

He should be suspended. Outraged L party member. (haven't seen any "unoutraged" ones in here.

You do (in post further up the page) Witzend raise good but huge questions about regulation and inspections and enforcement, tho its not an area I know much about.

Cossy

Let’s not use this appalling landlord as yet another reason to cause division.

To me he’s a disgrace, he shouldn’t be an MP of any political persuasion. End of!

It’s so childish, that if he was Tory we’d all be outraged, we are all outraged!

Did anyone imply that we’d all be outraged if he was a Tory? And not so much otherwise?

My point was that if he was a Tory, there would be deafening howls of outrage from Labour, with demands for his resignation.

So far I haven’t heard of very much deafening outrage from Labour, whether from backbenchers or others. Labour could gain a lot of points with the public, by very swift action, which would also send a sharp message to other slumlords.

He's sacked the managing agent and gone into fulsome apology mode. Obvious distancing. He should be sacked by Labour (and the same for any Tory MP in the same boat).

Aveline

Resignation from Council and Parliament required. This is an unacceptable situation. It would be a good lesson to other bad landlords.

Sod all happens to bad landlords anyway, so presumably this MP was entitled to expect a mere rap on the knuckles - if that.

MPs have to declare additional income don’t they? Maybe they should have to declare property ownership. How do so many landlords get away with renting out properties in a dreadful state of repair? Whatever party he is he should resign/ be sacked. Appalling.

Cossy

Let’s not use this appalling landlord as yet another reason to cause division.

To me he’s a disgrace, he shouldn’t be an MP of any political persuasion. End of!

It’s so childish, that if he was Tory we’d all be outraged, we are all outraged!

Just so.

Ilovecheese

He is Starmer's replacement for Sam Tarry. Apparently Sam Tarry should not have supported strikers on a picket line so he had to go, far too left wing for Starmer who wanted top quality candidates such as this landlord.

Starmer did make it very clear in advance to all his MPs not to go onto picket lines.

Let’s not use this appalling landlord as yet another reason to cause division.

To me he’s a disgrace, he shouldn’t be an MP of any political persuasion. End of!

It’s so childish, that if he was Tory we’d all be outraged, we are all outraged!

Witzend

IMO the U.K. is far too soft on landlords - there should be compulsory registration - and inspections - for all rental properties. In some areas, including the one where we have a rental flat, there are no checks at all.

And from all I’ve ever heard, a good many LLs do not declare their rental income, or don’t declare all of it. If you have no mortgage, don’t use a letting agency, and there’s no compulsory registration there is literally no one you legally need to tell. The HMRC self assessment form asks only how many properties - it doesn’t ask for addresses.

One case I heard of came via a friend of a dd - a doctor, who’d moved from London to another area for work, and had let her London flat.
A married couple (both doctors) mentioned something about avoiding tax, and were shocked when she said that of course she was declaring her rental income!
They evidently thought she was mad. ‘We never have!’

It's not UK - The laws governing rental properties is devolved in Scotland. Tenants rights are far more protected and all Landlords have to be registered, all properties have to have safety certificates and it is extremely difficult to evict.

He is Starmer's replacement for Sam Tarry. Apparently Sam Tarry should not have supported strikers on a picket line so he had to go, far too left wing for Starmer who wanted top quality candidates such as this landlord.

The most sinister thing to me is the fact that the tenants are too afraid to complain as they are threatened with eviction. Appalling bullying tactics.

Witzend

I still think that if this were a Tory MP, there would be howls of outrage from the Labour benches, and demands that he resign immediately.
Maybe we will see some such from the Labour benches early next week, but we shall see….

Totally agree 👍

But he's apologised, so that's okay then.

I still think that if this were a Tory MP, there would be howls of outrage from the Labour benches, and demands that he resign immediately.
Maybe we will see some such from the Labour benches early next week, but we shall see….

Here’s the whole story.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13798163/Labour-MP-exposed-landlord-rents-flats-riddled-black-mould.html