A second estate agency has been drawn into the debacle over Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ failure to obtain a selective licence for her rented property in Dulwich, London (main image).

Knight Frank has issued a statement after a national newspaper revealed over the weekend that it had warned Reeves and her husband Nicholas Joicey that their former family home would need to be licensed prior to being let.

The blue-chip estate agency has told The Mail that it is, “standard procedure to notify all clients of their legal and regulatory obligations when letting a property”.

Although Reeves and her husband initially approached Knight Frank, they instead chose to let the four-bedroom house via a local firm, Harvey & Wheeler.

Its boss, Gareth Martin, had to issue an apology last week when it transpired that an ex-member of staff had not followed up a promise to licence the property on behalf of Reeves and Joicey prior to abruptly leaving the firm last year.

Apology

This apology lead to Sir Laurie Magnus, the independent advisor on ministerial standards, deciding that ‘no further action’ was necessary.

However, the new revelation that Knight Frank also warned that the property would need a selective licence, has prompted Shadow Treasury Minister Gareth Davies to call for a “full investigation”.

“Each day brings fresh questions about Rachel Reeves’ account,” he said.

“This latest revelation casts serious doubt on her claim not to have known about the need for a licence. Her story seems to shift with every explanation.”

Reeves and Joicey have now applied for a selective licence for the property from Southwark Council, which has said it will not be investigating the pair’s initial failure to licence the house.

Main image credit: Harvey & Wheeler