Rachel Reeves has admitted to inadvertently breaking housing rules by renting out her south London home without the £945 licence required by Southwark Council. The chancellor disclosed the error to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and parliamentary ethics officers after it was first reported by the Daily Mail.
Reeves put her family home in Southwark up for rent after moving into No 11 Downing Street last year following Labour’s election victory. A spokesperson said the chancellor had used a letting agency to manage the process but was not advised that she needed a selective licence, which is mandatory for private landlords in certain designated areas of the borough.
“She had not been made aware of the licensing requirement, but as soon as it was brought to her attention she took immediate action and has applied for the licence,” the spokesperson said. The four-bedroom detached house had been advertised for rent at £3,200 a month, and Reeves has noted rental income on her parliamentary interests register since September 2024.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for a full investigation, citing Starmer’s previous statement that “lawbreakers can’t be lawmakers”. However, Starmer said after consulting his independent adviser on ministerial standards that further investigation was “not necessary” given Reeves’s prompt action and apology.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper warned the incident risks undermining confidence in the government weeks before the budget. Reeves’s first budget last year raised stamp duty on buy-to-let homes from 3% to 5% for second homes and investment properties.
