LandlordZONE Forums - HMO - Multi Occupation Questions http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/ en Sun, 19 May 2013 07:21:13 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/images/misc/rss.png LandlordZONE Forums - HMO - Multi Occupation Questions http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/ Nottingham City Additional Licensing Proposal http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?55246-Nottingham-City-Additional-Licensing-Proposal&goto=newpost Wed, 15 May 2013 11:33:55 GMT Just a heads up: ---Quote--- The fee for mandatory licensing from 25th March 2013 will be £980 for new applications and £930 for further applications made within 6 months of the first. The licence application fee for HMOs under the additional licensing scheme (should it be adopted) is likely... Just a heads up:

Quote:
The fee for mandatory licensing from 25th March 2013 will be £980 for new applications and £930 for further applications made within 6 months of the first. The licence application fee for HMOs under the additional licensing scheme (should it be adopted) is likely to be similar for those covered by mandatory licensing.
http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/CHt...x?id=41199&p=0

(The timescales seem to have slipped)

The area covered is most of the central area of the City.

As ever, bits of it are quite self-referential, bordering on the funny:

Quote:
To comply with the Housing Act 2004 and the CLG guidance, (both of which require that a significant proportion of the HMOs of the proposed description in the area are being managed sufficiently ineffectively), the proposed designated area is based around output areas containing at least 10 or more non-mandatory licensable HMOs where 20% or more of those HMOs have received at least one relevant complaint between 1st January 2008 – 1st October 2012.
Of course, the bad ones are the only ones he has any reason to have heard about...

I make that fee equivalent to at least a month's rent in a small HMO in Nottingham.

ML ]]> HMO - Multi Occupation Questions midlandslandlord http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?55246-Nottingham-City-Additional-Licensing-Proposal Lto or ast http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?55208-Lto-or-ast&goto=newpost Mon, 13 May 2013 21:48:49 GMT Considering taking the HMO route and letting 3 rooms in place of a 2 bed flat. The building works would be minimal as the layout works quite well. A lot of HMO ll advise to use a licence rather than an AST as its easier to evict. Now I know the stumbling block is assured possession, a key to a... Considering taking the HMO route and letting 3 rooms in place of a 2 bed flat. The building works would be minimal as the layout works quite well.

A lot of HMO ll advise to use a licence rather than an AST as its easier to evict. Now I know the stumbling block is assured possession, a key to a locked bedroom. But is this negated if I simply switch their room or at least have the right to do it? ]]> HMO - Multi Occupation Questions chloe_1775 http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?55208-Lto-or-ast Some HMO questions for 5 bed house http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?55171-Some-HMO-questions-for-5-bed-house&goto=newpost Sat, 11 May 2013 21:50:37 GMT Hello all, firstly great site, very informative indeed. I have a few HMO questions if anyone has the knowledge. I am considering purchasing a large 5 bedroom house which is over 4 floors: Basement (not habitable), ground floor, first floor and attic bedroom. I intend to sub divide both the... Hello all, firstly great site, very informative indeed. I have a few HMO questions if anyone has the knowledge.

I am considering purchasing a large 5 bedroom house which is over 4 floors: Basement (not habitable), ground floor, first floor and attic bedroom.

I intend to sub divide both the living room and dining room to make 4 rooms in total, the size would be 3.68m long X 2.33m wide.

First floor i intend to have 3 more rooms of a similar size. Would these be classed as a double rooms?

The property has a large attic room with windows which is accessed on the first floor landing by a seperate door. I understand if i let this as well as a bedsit i will need a HMO license. My question is: if i lock this door so the tenants have no access to it will i still need a hmo license?

Another scenario is if i convert the attic into a self contained studio with kitchenette and en suite shower room let to 1 tenant would i need a license?

Scenario 2, could i rent the attic room as a storage space for a business and still no hmo license would be needed? ]]> HMO - Multi Occupation Questions mindripper http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?55171-Some-HMO-questions-for-5-bed-house Do I need an HMO license in Camden http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?55076-Do-I-need-an-HMO-license-in-Camden&goto=newpost Tue, 07 May 2013 13:49:44 GMT I own a 2 bed flat (ie over 1 floor) in a converted building in camden which contains 16 flats.
I'm moving out and want to rent the flat out.

As it's mostly students around here, and as they're hard pressed for money, I've had numerous enquiries from 3 students (unrelated) - whereby they would like one of the three to use the lounge as a bedroom.
They would be sharing one bathroom and one kitchen

They would all be under 1 contract of course.

Surely this does not require a licence of any sort - right?
Otherwise any 3 bed flat rented out would require licensing.

The fact that they want to use the lounge as a bedroom is their prerogative right?

Many thanks ]]> HMO - Multi Occupation Questions sootster http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?55076-Do-I-need-an-HMO-license-in-Camden Could locks affect use class? http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?54950-Could-locks-affect-use-class&goto=newpost Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:53:42 GMT Background This is about the hmo use class, feel free to skip to my question if it's too long to read...

The house has is a 4 bedroom one that had established use as a C3 dwelling under the 1987 use class order and has remained in occupation by groups comprising of 4 unrelated persons who have shared the house as a single dwelling ever since.

I contend that since there has been no material change of use and more that 10 years of continuing unchanged use, the use of the property is now established as that of C3 according to 1987 use class order.

Since 2010, a new use class order has been published and the use I have should be correctly described as C3+C4 under the new definitions which is equivalent exactly to C3 circa 1987.

I say all this because the word is that councils think that any property that was shared by unrelated people upon the introduction of 2010 use class order was as a result automatically stripped of it's rights to be used interchangeably as a family dwelling/shared HMO and is now C4 only. I do not agree, but I am not aware of this having been tested in the courts yet.

Question
I have been approached by a group of 4 friends, who want to rent the property as a group of sharers on a single joint tenancy agreement. They intend to occupy the property in much the same way as all other groups previously, pay bills together, eat together, etc. However, 2 have been recent burglary victims and have asked that I put locks on bedroom doors or allow them to fit their own padlocks. It is entirely out of fear of burglary rather than wanting to live as separate dwelling units within one building but I am concerned that putting the locks on the doors would be a material change of use. The council may rule that I am using the property as 'bedsits' which is outside C4 (or C3+C4)use and may take enforcement action against me that could result in a dispute or even the loss of my C3 or C4 rights. (I understand that if the property is declared only C4 then I can get back C3 rights only by permanently giving up C4 rights when I want both - as the property is used as both and physically suitable for either without alteration).

I don't want to take any chances but I do not want to lose a group of very nice tenants who may rent elsewhere if I do not allow locks.

Does anyone know if I am safe to give locks or not? (if I do, they will allow easy fire escape with no key). ]]> HMO - Multi Occupation Questions bureaucrazy http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?54950-Could-locks-affect-use-class HMO questions http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?54901-HMO-questions&goto=newpost Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:37:35 GMT I am currently trying to gather as much info as possible on HMO requirements to asses if it would be a good investment and also to see better educate myself on expanding property portfolios.

I'm gonna ask a range of different questions, some may come across silly.
Here goes:

  1. A co2 alarm must be fitted whereever there is gas appliances. So to me this would be; the boiler room and kitchen. What about where the gas meters are?
  2. Do co2 detectors require to be linked to fire alarms?
  3. Is subdividing rooms ok? I know that minimum floor space must be adhered to, please confirm the minimum floor space.
]]> HMO - Multi Occupation Questions iffy http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?54901-HMO-questions HMO resident with two boys http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?54792-HMO-resident-with-two-boys&goto=newpost Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:42:17 GMT I have just divided cellar space in my small Victorian property into four units for the residents storage. Each area has a locking door and light, and my residents have been very grateful. It was really to stop storage in the staircase and common areas. However, one resident who often has her... I have just divided cellar space in my small Victorian property into four units for the residents storage. Each area has a locking door and light, and my residents have been very grateful. It was really to stop storage in the staircase and common areas.

However, one resident who often has her teenage sons visit at weekends has put a sofa and beanbag in her unit and the two boys have been apparently palying their guitairs and generally been loud. Last weekend, another resident told me he had seen the boys drinking cider, general horseplay, and masturbating in the cellar. He hasn't complained as such, it seemed more an obvervation to me.

She is a good tenant, and forwards post for me, and generally looks after things, so I am loathed to raise the issue with her seeing as no one has really complained, plus its only at weekends they visit.

Do I need to act? ]]> HMO - Multi Occupation Questions sprite http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?54792-HMO-resident-with-two-boys Shared Cleaning Responsibility in a student letting http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?54784-Shared-Cleaning-Responsibility-in-a-student-letting&goto=newpost Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:01:52 GMT I NEED URGENT ADVICE: We have a house with 5 students one of which will be vacating 2 months before the others. The cleaning of the house upon returning the property is joint between the tenants does this tenant have to return to assist in the general cleaning of the whole house or can she leave... I NEED URGENT ADVICE: We have a house with 5 students one of which will be vacating 2 months before the others. The cleaning of the house upon returning the property is joint between the tenants does this tenant have to return to assist in the general cleaning of the whole house or can she leave having just ensured her room is cleaned. The deposit is used as security on cleaning and breakages ]]> HMO - Multi Occupation Questions net http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?54784-Shared-Cleaning-Responsibility-in-a-student-letting HMO or not/ is planning permission required. http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?54698-HMO-or-not-is-planning-permission-required&goto=newpost Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:54:41 GMT Hi do I need planning permission for hmo if it exempt from licencing? Hi

do I need planning permission for hmo if it exempt from licencing? ]]> HMO - Multi Occupation Questions ayla http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?54698-HMO-or-not-is-planning-permission-required