Reform UK pays landlord £4k after Clacton tenancy row

A landlord said she was left facing a bill of thousands of pounds and with an office painted in light blue political colours after a tenancy dispute with Reform UK.

Tamsin May’s property in Clacton was rented by the party in June before leader Nigel Farage’s victory in the Essex constituency.

Mrs May expected to agree a five-year lease but instead the party left in August. She said rubbish was left behind and the keys were not returned.

Reform UK, which described the situation as regrettable, said it had now paid Mrs May the “just over £4,000” she paid to have the contract drawn up.

George Riley Estates Ltd, founded in Clacton in 1954 and now based in Northamptonshire, moved the political party into its office space on 7 June on a licence – a more flexible type of contract.

The licence specified the tenant was to keep the building in a “clean and tidy condition”, “not commit any waste” and make “no alterations to the fabric”.

Mrs May, who took back the property on 15 August, said: “They painted the door and bar in ‘Reform blue’ and put stud walls and a door in.

“We also had to pay for the locks to be changed and call in removal people to clear all of their rubbish and mess, which cost us about £500.

“I’ve even paid for their electricity bill, which I am not happy about, and we had to pay empty business rates of £600 after they left.”

Mrs May said she spent £4,000 preparing a more binding £18,000-a-year lease and encouraged the party to sign it by 28 June.

Although Reform UK had no obligation to sign the contract, Mrs May said she believed there had been a verbal agreement.

“They wanted to move in quickly and we were happy for them to take it in good faith,” added Mrs May, from Buckinghamshire.

“It started getting closer to the election and they still were not signing, but they said they still wanted the offices.

“After they won… we had no replies or acknowledgement to any of our emails, messages and voicemails.”

During Reform UK’s stay, about £7,500 for rent and a deposit was paid to Mrs May’s company.

After being approached by the BBC, Reform UK said it had paid Mrs May “everything asked for – about £4,000”.

A party spokesperson added: “This was a regrettable situation but we have now resolved it with the landlord of the property in full.

“These events took place whilst the national party was undergoing a restructure in personnel, and we thank the BBC for bringing it to our attention.”