New legislation affects landlords of student lets
26/03/2010 - Properties may require new licence
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From April 6th, landlords who rent their properties to three or more tenants from different families will need to apply for planning permission. This will involve extra costs as the licence and the subsequent alterations to properties including fire doors and facilities will need to be considered. The planning permission can take as long as six weeks to come through.
The current rules mean that anyone renting their property out to five or more tenants, who are not from the same family, must apply for a licence to lease and must install the correct lighting and fire doors. The decision has not gone down too well with landlord associations who have criticised the proposals. They say that an increasing number of people rely on the private rented sector when they are unable to apply for a mortgage and there are so few local authority rental properties available. They point out that more and more people are opting to rent in shared homes and that the new legislation will mean that many landlords will not want to be bothered with the new regulations and their associated costs.
The spokesperson for the Department of Communities and Local Government said “The cluster of too any shared houses can sometimes cause problems, especially if too many properties in one area are let to short term residents with little stake in the local community. Tenants can also suffer from poor conditions and management of the properties by landlords”
The Rugg Review, a government-funded study, found that less than 1 per cent of council wards nationwide comprise more than 10 per cent student housing.
