As a member of the NLA (National Landlords Association) I get regular emails from them, and do support most things they say, but am COMPLETELY anti this fight they have taken on. HMO’s are houses of multiple occupation, and in recent years there has been a huge increase in legislation, quite haphazardly implemented by councils across the UK. Without going into the tonnes of details which is HMO legislation, it’s all about cramming as many people as physically possible into the smallest space possible to ensure the best possible return from the property. If a landlord has 4 people in a house all paying weekly rent, and with some jiggery pokery and renovation works he or she can now get 6 in, with the increased rent the landlord’s quids in.
I know times are tough, and I know it can be hard to make deals stack up in the present climate, but it’s a fact that, no matter how many landlords play the spin and say they are improving the property, and how much the NLA bangs on about affordable housing, the bottom line is it’s only about increasing the profitability of the house in question.
This is what the email said:
| NLA anger at Government proposals |
| As part of our continued campaigning for fairer rights for landlords, the NLA has joined forces with national property groups to express anger at the latest Government proposals which would allow lobby groups to pressure councils to prevent people living in affordable, shared housing.
Ministers want to clamp down on Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) in their quest to stop ‘studentification’ in residential areas. However, the NLA and other property groups believe that laws to restrict HMOs will:
The property groups describe the plans as a ‘nimby’s charter’ and instead want to see local management which would allow communities to tackle problems while avoiding more legislation. To read the NLA’s response to the Government’s plans and read the joint letter published in the Financial Times please click here. |
WHAT A LOAD OF BOLLOCKS
I am a landlord. That’s my living, that’s my pension, that’s my life. I have renovated flats to turn them from studios to one beds, and one beds into two beds, where the space allowed. I am not anti commercial decisions. But there are landlords everywhere taking the mickey, and because they don’t think they are making a big enough profit from the houses they already have, or have just bought, are cramming, jamming and slamming a stupid amount of bodies into houses entirely unsuitable for that amount of people. It’s a standing joke in South Manchester that the Fallowfield and Withington areas have had all the most beautiful family houses turned into flats, and now even the smallest three bed semis are having ridiculous extension applications to turn them into HMO’s. The long suffering residents field a barrage of debris, abuse, noise and loutish behaviour which has worsened year on year.
An imbalance of long term owner occupiers V short term letters (student / immigrants / transient residents) means a worsening of the area, any fool can see that. Crime levels increase, there is less care in the area, no children, no older residents, just ghettoisation (is that a word? it bloody should be!). Owners and resultantly people with a vested interest in caring for the area not just making a profit from it move out as there is absolutely ZERO neighbourhood feel or sense of community.
Why do I feel so passionate about this? I live in a house which I used to rent out to young professionals. They moved on telling me there were too many students and the neighbourhood had degenerated. We moved in and love the house but boy, has the area changed in the last 3 years. And all because of bad planning decisions, too many HMO’s and greedy landlords.
Residential areas ARE being studentified, and living in that type of environment does nothing to help students integrate into the wider society. Residential areas, loved by those who have lived there for years are NOT campuses, yet they are being turned into them. The student areas are spreading more and more and not being controlled in any way, and it is not doing our neighbourhoods any good.
Effect (sic – Affect?) local business???!! Don’t be ridiculous, NLA, takeaways and fast food outlets are the only shops frequented by students – they all shop in Sainsbury’s these days!
Of course the property groups say those in opposition are NIMBYs – I don’t know any landlord who lives in the areas they rent HMO’s in, they all bloody go to them in their 4×4’s then leave again. If they were made to live in the areas being ghettoised they would soon realise the effect their decisions on numbers have on the neighbourhoods.
My blood BOILED when I read this load of cr*p. Get out of your ivory tower and get into the areas, talk to long term residents, NLA, maybe you will see they shouldn’t just be insulted with the term NIMBY and that they actually have a point.
NIMBY – Not In My Back Yard
We are SLIMBY’s – Shed Loads In My Back Yard – and no more thanks!!!! (There is a ruder word than Shed you can insert if you like)
I agree completely with you Sian, but what can be done, petition the local councilors?
Could be a possibility…. fancy putting a proposal together.
Bring back old fashioned neighborhoods where people cared. It can be done, in the apartment building where I have a loft apartment we have done just that, and there is a feeling of community. Where we have moved to in Chorlton there is a neighborhood but more could be done.
There should be something tangible to bring back to a neighborhood.
You and I…. take on the world 🙂
I have realised that I am turning into Jenny Eclair, a grumpy old woman, (though she did build a very nice house once so I hope to have that in common with her soon!)
Cool site, love the info.
I don’t know If I said it already but …Cool site, love the info. I do a lot of research online on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say I’m glad I found your blog. Thanks, 🙂
A definite great read..
-Bill-Bartmann