'Ants are everywhere': Labour MP's tenants reveal condition of flats

A Labour MP rents out flats with black mould and ant infestations, the BBC has discovered.

Jas Athwal, the newly-elected MP for Ilford South, owns 15 rental flats, making him the biggest landlord in the House of Commons.

In one block of seven flats owned by Mr Athwal nearly half the tenants said they had to regularly clean their bathroom ceilings to remove mould.

Mr Athwal has now also admitted his flats do not have the correct property licences required under a scheme he introduced as Redbridge Council leader.

He had earlier claimed to the BBC that he had complied with the rules.

Mr Athwal said he was "shocked" and "profoundly sorry" to hear of residents' issues, which he had not been aware of due to the properties being managed by an agency, and promised repairs and maintenance will be completed "swiftly".

Jas Athwal owns a block of flats in Redbridge, east London

On top of the black mould, the BBC saw evidence of ant infestations in a number of the seven properties.

"The ants are everywhere," one resident said, pointing to insects climbing up a door frame. "They are on my kid’s body and on their clothes."

Another resident said they had been threatened with eviction by the letting agent if they complained about problems in their flat or started claiming benefits.

In 2018, Mr Athwal - who led Redbridge Council from 2014 until he became an MP last month - shared an article about a local landlord being fined by the council, writing: "Rogue landlords, we are coming for you."

When I visited the properties, which are above an empty shop in Ilford, the communal areas were dirty and the lights did not work.

Fire alarms were hanging loose from the ceiling, and a washing machine had been dumped next to a set of stairs.

One resident showed me black mould growing on their bathroom ceiling, adding that a family member is a "clean freak" who keeps scrubbing the area with bleach to keep the mould at bay.

Another said they had googled black mould and realised it could be toxic.

"The whole ceiling would be black if we didn’t clean it every few weeks," they said.

I knocked on every door and spoke to most of the tenants. None wanted their name to be used. Some specifically said this was due to a fear of being evicted.

"Please don’t use my name," said a resident. "Finding a new flat is very difficult."

Most of the people I spoke to said Mr Athwal and his property manager were slow to respond to complaints or were completely unresponsive.

While I was at the block, the property manager was tipped off about my visit and tenants started to get calls from him. After receiving these calls they became hesitant about talking to me. This appeared to me to be intimidation.

One resident who had spoken on camera about problems with their flat later asked that we not use the interview and another asked me not to use images of the mould two days after allowing me to take pictures of it.

In response to this, Mr Athwal said: "I am, of course, more than happy for tenants to provide updates to journalists.”

Tenants were reluctant to speak out about the condition of their homes

But Andrew Boff, a Conservative member of the London Assembly, is calling on the Labour Party and Redbridge Council to investigate.

"I’m deeply concerned," said Conservative Andrew Boff, who has also visited the flats, spoken to residents and took pictures of the mould.

"I worry that there are people who are Jas Athwal’s tenants who are now frightened to speak for fear of being evicted."

"We’ve heard this time and time again about how the threat of eviction is used to excuse poor maintenance of properties," he added.

He has called for the Labour Party and Redbridge Council to investigate Mr Athwal.

"Here we have a situation where somebody who is the leader of Redbridge Council, which introduced a licensing scheme, which he told everybody else to sign up to, and he didn't do it himself," he said.

Mr Athwal stood down from his role as council leader last month after being elected to Parliament.

Labour’s 2024 general election manifesto included a commitment to "prevent private renters being exploited and discriminated against".

The lights did not work in the communal area

In his first response to the BBC, Mr Athwal did not respond to a request for interview but 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."

He added he did not take on tenants on housing benefit to avoid conflicts of interest with his role as the local council leader.

'Shocked'

In a lengthy later statement, Mr Athwal described himself as a "renters’ champion" who is "proud" to rent out homes with secure tenancies at below-market rents and who wants every one of his 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," he said.

“I know it's my responsibility to have issues addressed as soon as they arise and have met 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."

On the licences, Mr Athwal said: "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."

Around 60 current MPs receive income from rental properties, according to Parliament's latest register of interests.

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