Housing and Planning Minister John Healey recently announced new powers rolled out to local councils in an attempt to combat areas of “unsafe and substandard accommodation run by bad landlords”. The powers relate directly to Houses in Multiple Occupation (or HMOs) in England.
There has been concern that high concentrations of shared housing for students can cause problems in some areas, especially when the residents take little interest in the local community and live elsewhere during holiday periods. In towns with a high concentration of students they are often blamed for noise, litter and anti-social behaviour.
The new rules mean that landlords who wish to rent houses out to three or more unrelated tenants will have to apply for planning permission from their local council. Governments have also gifted local councils new powers to license and regulate landlords in their area. The rules will only apply to family homes converted into multi-occupancy residences and will not be applied retrospectively.
Mr Healey said the measures would let local councils “crack down on the worst landlords and stop the spread of high concentrations of shared homes”, arguing they caused “problems for other residents.” Cities such as Leeds, Nottingham and Manchester have been highlighted as the worst hit by dense populations of students.
The National Landlords Association (the NLA) have condemned the move, with chairman David Salusbury branding the powers “draconian” and comparing them with “using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”
The NLA argue that the new rules will reduce the availability of shared housing, which they say currently represents a fifth of all privately rented properties. It is HMOs which provide much-needed housing for students, young professionals and those on low incomes, and the new measures will simply reduce availability and drive up prices.
Students have objected, with the National Union of Students (NUS) arguing that the complaints about students actually reflect “tension between young and old peoples lifestyles”, adding that “students contribute to their local area.”
The government had a consultation on how to tackle issues associated with “studentification” in 2009 and the conclusion was to change the Use Classes Order, which defines how properties can be legally used, and redefine what an HMO is. Mr Healey also announced that work has started on compiling a new National Landlord’s Register. This is estimated to cost up to £300million.
The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) also chipped in, with chairman Alan Ward arguing that previous HMO legislation introduced in 2006 had been “badly implemented with poor landlords escaping many of the measures. Only the compliant majority have been affected, with little improvement to property standards or benefits to tenants.” The RLA call upon the CLG to ensure local authorities make the best use of existing measures to stop the worst landlords from doing business. Landlord associations have condemned the new plans.
Stay tuned to the Buy to Let Furnishings blog for more information about the new hmo licences and the impact on private landlords.
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Can you please let me know if there are new rules for Landlords to carry out insulation in houses within 2010. The house we are presently renting has no insulation, the windows pour with condensation and most of the window frames are rotten. It is draughty and dusty place and he does not maintain this house at all. We do as much as we can re decorating and gardening etc., During this winter we have had to keep heating on day and night because it gets really cold.
As far as I’m aware, there aren’t any new rules coming into force into 2010. A recent Household Energy Management Strategy does contain a proposal to force landlords to insulate lofts and cavity walls, but even if this is accepted it could take five years to come into force.
The 1985 Landlord and Tenant Act demands that landlords make necessary repairs to damp homes, so you’ve probably got a good case already.
Insulation grants for landlords are available, to assist with the cost of insulating lofts and cavity walls.