3rd
Sep 2024
The London Renters Union activists have demanded that rogue landlord MP Jaz Athwal should resign from parliament after being found out about the dire conditions of his rental properties.
However other activist groups have held back from calling for the MPs resignation as they are closer to the Labour Party.
LRU claims it represents more than 7,000 PRS tenants and has sent a letter to Redbridge Council which categorically states he must step down from parliament, Jas Athwell was the authorities leader prior to the General Election.
An LRU spokesperson says: “Athwal left his tenants facing toxic mould and dangerous disrepair and has broken laws on licensing, which is a key part of the tenant safety system. Athwal has also admitted to refusing to let out properties to renters who receive housing benefit, a practise that prevents many low-income people from accessing adequate housing and that has been ruled illegal by a court.
“Athwal is trying to blame his estate agent but landlords who use an estate agent still have to follow the law. Tenants told the BBC that Mr Athwal himself was unresponsive to their complaints. Anyone who discriminates against people who receive benefits and puts their tenants at such risk by ignoring housing safety laws is clearly not fit to be an MP. Athwal must resign. For as long as Athwal remains an MP, many renters won’t trust parliament to fix the housing crisis.
“As some of our members know only too well, when landlords ignore the law, tenants face serious injury and illness. The consequences can be deadly. 650,000 private rented homes across England are unsafe because landlords like Athwal fail to follow basic housing health and safety laws.
“As a regulator of housing in the borough, Redbridge council have a responsibility to act. We hope that the council will take this matter seriously.”
Athwal’s tenants said he has always been very slow in rectifying issues after receiving complaints regarding disrepair and mould.
In the recent BBC investigation which uncovered that in one of the landlord’s block of seven flats with all of them having serious mould issues, the investigation also discovered the properties had faulty lighting and fire alarms.
Renters told the BBC that “Athwal and his property manager were slow to respond to complaints or were completely unresponsive” and Athwal has subsequently admitted his properties were not licenced – despite the council he led until recently demanding that landlords pay some £800 per licence.
Although the London Renters Union has demanded the MP to resign, Generation Rent has not supported the activist union possibly because its chief executive was a former Labour candidate for the police and crime commissioner’s role.
However it has tweeted calling for him to banned from letting out properties which says: “Shocking allegations that an MP is profiting from letting homes ridden with mould and infestations, without a legally-required license. If proven, anyone putting renters at risk by dodging responsibilities should be banned from letting out homes. These allegations reveal a wider problem with England’s weak protections for renters, who understandably fear being evicted if they were to make complaints. This underlines the need for the government to urgently bring forward its promised law to end unfair evictions.”
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