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A consultation has now launched on the proposed measures, which will apply to England. The proposed minimum room size is 6.52 square metres for single occupancy and 10.23 square metres for a two people.
The government plans to introduce the changes during 2016. In addition, the government is also seeking views on whether the current licensing arrangements for purpose built student accommodation are appropriate.
Under the Housing Act 2004 an HMO is defined as a building or flat where the basic facilities are shared, such as a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, by people three people forming more than one household. A building will also be an HMO if it is a poorly converted block of flats
and less than two thirds of the flats are occupied by owners.
Powers in the Housing and Planning Act, which are also being introduced will further crackdown poor quality homes by introducing a database of rogue landlords and property agents, banning orders for the most prolific and serious offenders, penalties of up to £ 30,000 and extended rent repayment orders.
David Smith, policy director at the Residential Landlords Association, said:“ We agree that tackling criminal landlords must be a priority. We wait to see the full details, but powers are already available to tackle overcrowding which is about the number of people crammed into a room, not the size of a room.
“ What is needed is proper enforcement of existing powers.”
TOP PROBLEMS REPORTED IN NON-LICENSABLE HMOS
• Fire Safety
• Poor Management
• Overcrowding
• Excess Cold or Insulation Issues
• Electrical and Gas Safety
• Lack of Amenities
• Waste / Refuse Issues
• Safety Measures
Source:‘ Extending Mandatory Licensing of Houses of Multiple Occupation- A Government Response’. Local authorities respondes to‘ What are the most significant problems routinely encountered in non-licensable HMOs?’
Membership goal for campaigning Wiltshire lettings agency
Martin West, mlettings’ owner and managing director
An independent letting agency in Wiltshire, whose owner is calling for the rental sector to be regulated, has been awarded membership of its professional body. mlettings’ owner and managing director Martin West, a champion of regulation for the sector, believes mlettings is the largest independent letting agency in the area to hold the prestigious Association of Residential Letting Agents( ARLA) membership.
The Cricklade-based company had to undergo a rigorous inspection of all its processes and Martin had to pass National Federation of Property Professionals( NFoPP) examinations before he and mlettings were invited to join ARLA, the leading professional body for the rental sector.“ We’ re delighted to have achieved the ARLA membership, as it’ s an endorsement of the high level of service we provide for our landlords and their tenants,” he said.“ We specialise only in lettings – we’ re not an estate agency – which makes us real experts in the rental sector.” mlettings was founded 14 years ago and operates with a dedicated team of five from offices in Cricklade High Street. The company deals with residential rentals in the Swindon, Chippenham and Cirencester area. Martin, who has been a landlord himself since 1987, is a firm believer in bringing regulation into the rental sector to protect landlords and tenants.“ We are lucky in Wiltshire and the Cotswolds, as Swindon, Cirencester and the surrounding area are very well served with quality letting agents, doing a good job for their clients,” said Martin.“ But the sector is completely unregulated and this needs to change. By joining ARLA we are also joining its campaign to bring in legislation to the sector.” Currently, only ARLA licensed agents and some National Association of Estate Agents( NAEA) agents are required to join the Client Money Protection scheme, which is designed to protect client money held by property agents. Martin would like to see this imposed on the sector as a whole. He said:“ We have a huge shortfall in the housing stock in this country, and it is the private rental sector which is filling this gap for the Government. I am sure in the next two to three years with the support of other responsible letting agents and national legislation, regulation will come into the sector to make it safer for landlords and tenants. Then everyone will have to follow the example of those agents – like the team here at mlettings – who are offering a quality, professional service.”
4 Landlord & Buy-to-Let Issue 69 • November 2016