Reeves Applies for Selective Landlord Licence After Letting Home

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has acknowledged renting out her family home in Dulwich, south London, without obtaining a selective rental licence required by Southwark Council after she moved into 11 Downing Street in July 2024. She referred the matter to the independent adviser on ministerial standards, notified the prime minister and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, and has submitted an application for the licence, her office said.

Reeves’s office said the four‑bedroom house was let through a lettings agency after the Labour government took office and that rental income has been declared on the parliamentary register since September 2024. The property was advertised last year at 3,200 pounds a month. Southwark Council requires private landlords in designated wards to hold a selective licence before renting a property; failing to do so can result in fines or prosecution, council rules state.

Her spokesperson said Reeves had not been advised that a licence was required when the property was placed on the market, and that the omission was inadvertent. Reeves apologised in a letter to the prime minister, writing, "I sincerely apologise for this error" and offering to...