Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Property Industry Eye. Read the original article for full details.

Kevin Hollinrake Accuses Andy Burnham of Hypocrisy Over London Letting

Kevin Hollinrake, founder of Hunters and now a Conservative MP, has accused Labour politician Andy Burnham of hypocrisy after it was revealed that Burnham rents out a London flat originally purchased while he was an MP. The property, a former council flat in Kennington, south London, was bought by Burnham in 2005 and is now estimated to be worth around £480,000.

Reports state that the purchase was partly funded through parliamentary expenses available to MPs at the time. Burnham has previously criticised the divide between homeowners benefiting from rising property values and those struggling to access the housing market. Hollinrake argued that Burnham’s ownership and rental of the property contradict his public stance on housing inequality.

The parliamentary expenses system was changed after the 2009 expenses scandal, preventing MPs from claiming mortgage costs on second homes. MPs were instead allowed to claim rental costs for accommodation in London. Burnham retained ownership of his London flat and rented it out, while reportedly claiming around £17,000 a year in expenses to rent another nearby property for himself.

This arrangement attracted criticism when it first became public in 2012, during Burnham’s time as shadow health secretary. Burnham has also called for lower rents and supported a rent freeze in a letter to then Housing Secretary Michael Gove in 2023. Additionally, he has called for the suspension of the Right to Buy scheme, despite his own property having been sold under that initiative.

This case highlights ongoing debates around landlord practices, parliamentary expenses, and housing policy, all of which are relevant to UK letting agents and inventory clerks monitoring regulatory and market developments.