Landlords’ warning on rental restrictions

The council is consulting over using new powers which would mean that householders in the Avenues looking to rent out a house to between three and six people would have to apply for planning permission.

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) said restrictive planning policies would make the area less attractive to investors, drive up rents and cut house values, because owners would be unable to do as they wished with their properties.

Chairman of the RLA Alan Ward said: “Small houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) have an important role to play in housing the increasing number of students attending university and many young professionals, such as nurses, for whom home ownership is simply unaffordable.

“Instead of using planning powers to impose this kind of restriction, the RLA strongly believes that where there are concerns about the behaviour of tenants in HMOs, the local authority should work with tenants, student unions, landlords and the police to better educate tenants on their responsibilities to the community.”

However the chairman of the Avenues and Pearson Park Residents’ Association, Stephanie Wilson, said: “We are always very joyful when a home goes back to domestic social use after being a multi-occupancy.

By and large landlords do not care for a conservation area and properties in a conservation area in the way that domestic residents might. There are honourable exceptions but by and large that’s the case. They take money out but are not prepared to put money in, which I find completely maddening.”

City planning manager Alex Codd said councillors would be asked in March whether they thought it appropriate to have planning restrictions on HMOs and, if so, in what areas. Currently there are no such restrictions.