Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
How bad is it? Latest error will damage Labour at a critical time
The Guardian
|October 31, 2025
After Reeves became chancellor, she and her family moved into 11 Downing Street.
In September 2024 she let out her family home in Dulwich, southeast London, for a reported £3,200 a month. The Daily Mail revealed on Wednesday night that Reeves needed a licence to do so - and had failed to obtain one.
Why did she need a licence?
Local authorities in England have the power to require landlords to obtain a licence before renting out homes in their areas. The rules are intended to help councils tackle problems such as poor housing conditions, deprivation, antisocial behaviour and crime.
Not all councils in London require licences, but Southwark council, where Reeves's home is located, operates a licensing scheme of this kind. It requires any landlord to obtain a licence costing £945 and provide documents including gas, electrical and fire safety certificates.
What are the consequences of not buying a licence?
Failing to obtain a licence is a criminal offence punishable with an unlimited fine on prosecution, a fine of £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution, or an order to pay back up to 12 months in rent.
This story is from the October 31, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Guardian
The Guardian
Tree-killing mushroom on the rise after hot summer
A golden mushroom that can attack and kill trees has flourished in Britain this year as a result of the hot summer and damp autumn.
1 mins
November 01, 2025
The Guardian
Women use more exclamation marks in emails. I know, right?!!!!
The clocks have gone back.
2 mins
November 01, 2025
The Guardian
Indigenous Australians celebrate passing of historic state treaty
The Australian state of Victoria has taken a historic step towards reconciliation, passing the nation's first formal treaty with Indigenous traditional owners.
1 mins
November 01, 2025
The Guardian
Raw milk, LED lights and a teddy My day living like Erling Haaland
Raw milk, LED light treatment, tomahawk steak and a bafflingly large cuddly toy. They sound more suited to the conveyor belt of the Generation Game than part of a Premier League star's routine, but as the Manchester City striker Erling Haaland recently revealed, these are some of the things he credits with his success.
2 mins
November 01, 2025
The Guardian
Womad festival to return next year at new site in Wiltshire
Womad, the global music festival co-founded by Peter Gabriel, is to return next year at a new venue.
1 min
November 01, 2025
The Guardian
Nexperia halts export of supplies to Chinese chipmaker
Nexperia, the EU-based automotive chipmaker at the centre of a geopolitical dispute, has suspended supplies to its Chinese factory, stepping up a trade war that threatens to halt production at car manufacturers around the world.
2 mins
November 01, 2025
The Guardian
Entertaining series tackles a discordant musical history
As a pop-cultural moment, the turn-of-the-millennium girl group boom hasn’t been flooded with solemn analysis.
2 mins
November 01, 2025
The Guardian
More shoppers embracing US food as Thanksgiving takes off in UK
Thanksgiving was once a holiday Britons knew only from American films, but a growing appetite for US cuisine, from southern-style comfort food to pumpkin pie, is driving a surge in UK celebrations.
2 mins
November 01, 2025
The Guardian
Delevingne sisters' prosecco ads irk champagne industry body
A champagne industry body has written to the celebrity Delevingne sisters demanding they stop making references to the drink in the marketing of their vegan prosecco brand.
1 mins
November 01, 2025
The Guardian
Three Just Stop Oil protesters who targeted Stonehenge acquitted
Three Just Stop Oil (JSO) protesters were yesterday cleared over a protest at Stonehenge during which orange powder was sprayed on to the prehistoric monument.
3 mins
November 01, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size