Prominent Reform UK councillor has rental properties shut down

The Reform UK chairman of Warwickshire county council has had two of his rental properties shut down. 

Ed Harris has had his two six-bedroom HMOs shut down by neighbouring Tamworth council – which has called Harris to be “a rogue landlord.”

Tamworth says it discovered “multiple serious safety failures” at the properties, which “failed to meet even the most basic of living standards and legal requirements.”

The problems included: 

• No central heating or hot water
• Poor fire doors and no smoke detection systems
• Inadequate cooking facilities
• Unsafe access to gardens
• Plus multiple other safety failures across both properties

A statement from Tamworth says: “Harris, along with management agent Touchstone who had been managing one property since September, repeatedly failed to take action on warnings and advice from the council to address the problems.”

Now local media in Warwickshire say that Harris has expressed contrition over the issue, and last night quit the chairman’s role.

He is quoted as saying: “Not all of those facts are presented in the correct light … [but] … “there are a number of things to be contrite about.

“Both properties are owned by me and I take full accountability for what is happening with them.

“I will be doing my utmost to sort it out and get things back on a level playing field now that I am aware of the full circumstances.”

This article is taken from Landlord Today