Tenants of Labour MP landlord claim flats have ants and black mould

Jas Athwal, the recently elected MP for Ilford South, rents out 15 flats and has described himself as a “renter’s champion”.

But tenants in a block of seven flats in Ilford, east London, owned by the MP claimed they have to put up with black mould, ants and threats of eviction if they complain.

“The ants are everywhere,” one resident told BBC News. “They are on my kid’s body and on their clothes.”

Almost half the tenants in the building claimed they had to regularly clean their bathroom ceilings to remove mould.

“The whole ceiling would be black if we didn’t clean it every few weeks,” one said.

Communal areas in the block of flats were dirty and fire alarms hung loose from the ceiling, the BBC reported.

One resident claimed a letting agent had told them they could face eviction if they complained about problems in their flat or started claiming benefits.

Others accused Mr Athwal and his property manager of being slow to respond to complaints or ignored them.

Labour’s election manifesto included a commitment to “prevent private renters being exploited and discriminated against”.

Rules introduced by Mr Athwal in December 2023 when he was leader of Redbridge Council mean he needs to have a selective property licence to rent out the block of seven properties.

But the council’s public licence register suggests that none of the seven flats has a licence.

‘In process of renewing all licences’

In a statement on Friday night, Mr Athwal said he was “shocked” by the condition of his properties and that he was “profoundly sorry”.

“It was my understanding all the licences for my properties were up to date, but I have recently seen an email which shared that licences are due to expire, I am in the process of renewing all licences,” he said.

“I’m proud to rent out homes with secure tenancies at below-market rents.

“I want every one of my tenants to have excellent accommodation; I’m shocked at the reported condition of a number of the properties and have asked the managing agent for an explanation and immediate action to rectify any issues.

“I know it’s my responsibility to have issues addressed as soon as they arise and have met with the property management company to understand failures in communication. I’m profoundly sorry that tenants have been let down and will be reviewing the property management and how matters are escalated going forward.

“Repairs and maintenance will be done swiftly and I am, of course, more than happy for tenants to provide updates to journalists on the work.”

Mr Athwal told the BBC that he is in “full compliance” with the landlord licensing scheme and that an agency was responsible for maintaining the property.

He said he had not been aware of the claims and denied that any tenants had been threatened with eviction.

‘Poor maintenance of properties’

Andrew Boff, a Conservative member of the London Assembly who has visited the flats, said he was “deeply concerned”.

“I worry that there are people who are Jas Athwal’s tenants who are now frightened to speak for fear of being evicted,” he said.

“We’ve heard this time and time again about how the threat of eviction is used to excuse poor maintenance of properties.”

In a statement to BBC News, Mr Athwal said: “My properties are managed by an agency, selected for their quick response times and excellent customer service. This is evidenced by the long tenure of the tenants – over 87 years across 15 properties.

“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.