Rachel Reeves could be forced to repay tenants as Southwark Council leads in licensing fees

It is ultimately the landlord that carries the can for pretty much everything these days. If Rachel Reeves was aware that she needed a licence and did not check that the agent had obtained one she has been negligent. While as Landlords we might have some sympathy for her plight, the council should just treat her as an average Jane and not give her any sort of “Two Tier” dispensation. If they don’t it is kick in the teeth for the ordinary folk who may have slipped up in the same way and ended up heavily fined.

It the council gives 21 days grace, why would anyone get a licence – until they’re caught?

I’ve not bothered to keep track of this farce, as I envisage there will be many strings pulled behind the scene’s.

If the letting agents are at fault, which seems to have been suggested, wouldn’t she just sue them in turn?

Reply to the comment left by Tim Rogers at 31/10/2025 – 11:42
She might, but I doubt she would win. Ultimately, the responsibility lies with the landlord. As a policymaker, she has no excuse.

Surely the real story here is Southwark council need to be investigated for making £23Million out of selective licencing fees.

Councils are NOT allowed to make a profit from SL fees but are from fines (hence why they need to fine Rachel).

I find it hard to believe that administration of this scheme costs £23Million in which case where has the money gone? They need to publish accounts for their selective licence scheme like all other councils with SL schemes. Sadly that wont happen as most councils never publish any accounts let alone ones for SL…..

If they didnt spend the money administering the scheme then they need to refund it back to the landlords who are now creditors.

So much for transparency and accountability in public office.

Could be? She should be.

As someone else has reported on here Rachel Reeves has committed a strict liability crime under section 95 of the Housing Act 2004 (failure to licence a property) with unlimited fines if prosecuted in court.

Just like speeding, it is a strict liability crime and there is no defence of “I didn’t know” or my letting agent didn’t tell me.

Apology to Starmer is not enough Reeves. You have got to resign. Simple

Alternatively councils can issue a civil financial penalty up to £30,000 (and keep the money) and treats this as one of the most heinous crimes possible.

We see dozens of small landlords every week fined often between £12,000 to £20,000 for this exact same criminal offence.

She should be fined. Pity she cannot be deported.
Yet another screw up involving Starmer The Reverse Midas of Downing Street.

The focus is rightly on Reeves. We hear that she has told the Prime minister ( or so he says ) that she didn’t know she needed a license, yet emails have emerged where her / her husband ( unless they don’t talk to each other ! ) were in email ‘barter’ with the letting Agent over how much the Agents would charge to complete the License application. Apparently they quoted £900 which seems wasn’t agreeable to the Reeves family.
Either Rachel from Accounts has lied to the PM or 2TK has lied to the public.
Anyway, Southwark Labour-controlled Council who operate the Dulwich area have questions to answer.
The 2nd most senior member of government lives – lived on their area and they must be acutely aware of that.
When as everyone knew, that ‘our Rach’ moved from behind the counter at HBOS, into Number 11, Southwark should have been expecting to charge Double Council tax on her property. In examining this Council funding liability, they discover that other persons ( Reeves’ unlicensed tenants ) are paying the Council Tax, the 2+2 bells should be ringing about whether the property was Licensed and were the council collecting their licensing fees.
I have emailed the above in a complaint to Southward ( Southwark Council Southwark Council ) asking
1. why the above action wasn’t taken.
2. What actions have been taken against other unlicensed rental properties.
They responded promising a reply with 14 days.

Were the tenants a family or was it used as an HMO?

According to LandlordZONE Reeves wrote on Facebook recently: “I welcome Leeds City Council’s decision to expand their selective landlord licensing policy to include the Armley area.

“This scheme means private landlords in the area will be required by law to obtain a licence for any residential property they are seeking to let and must meet certain standards to ensure the property is safe and in a decent state of repair.”

So she didn’t know she needed a license? Really?

Emails have emerged between her husband and Letting Agents, asking how much agents would charge to submit the application – there is no suggestion the Reeves ever paid the Agents to carry this out.
She ‘ KNEW ‘
She ‘ LIED ‘