HMOs are very popular with student landlords. Rather than housing one or two students, with the right property development you can accommodate five, six, or even more students—and maximise your income as a result. However, although there are still many disreputable landlords who undertake illegal conversions and cram as many tenants as possible into their properties, many local authorities, including Reading and Bath, are now operating under Article 4 declarations. As such, they require that landlords of HMOs apply for special planning permission before letting out their accommodation.
Under the terms of Article 4, landlords wishing to let a multi occupancy property for between three and five students will have to seek planning permission first, and if the local authority deems that the property does not reach the appropriate standard of accommodation, planning permission will not be granted. However, some local authorities have suggested that planning permission will be automatically granted if the property is in a low HMO density area (subject to other criteria being met).
The changes are being introduced to try and improve the standard of accommodation on offer in multi occupancy houses. By forcing landlords to apply for planning permission before they are allowed to market their HMOs, it is hoped that standards will improve and local residents in neighbourhoods with a high proportion of HMOs will have fewer reasons to complain. And the way things are going it looks as if strict Article 4 planning controls will soon become standard practice across most towns and cities in the UK.
