Lincoln HMO Policy Scrutiny Committee
Just a quick update on the HMO Policy Scrutiny Committee meeting which occurred in Lincoln last Wednesday.
With the rise in students entering Lincoln (now having 2 Universities) the demand for accommodation has brought about a rise in houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) and in certain areas like the West End, Arboretum and the High Street, local residents have deemed there to be a rather high concentration of HMOs, hence the call for this meeting…
IMPORTANT NOTE: If article 4 was to be introduced it wouldn’t be retrospective (i.e. those with Lincoln HMOs would not be affected). Basically article 4 would require future landlords to obtain full planning permission before converting a property into a HMO.
Summary
There were a number of representatives given 5 minutes to put forward their case for or against implementing article 4 or some other intermediary alternative.
Tenants
A few HMO tenants from West Parade, High Street and Arboretum expressed useful nature of HMOs with regards to affordability and convenience.
Residents
Local residents expressed strong support for article 4 and opposition to additional HMOs in the West End area. Pointing out issues of anti-social behavior, such as loud music / noise at in appropriate times of the night.
University
Bishop Grosseteste, University of Lincoln and the Student Union all expressed strong views against article 4, stating the need for student integration rather than segregation. As the Universities expands the demand is even greater for student HMOs. Also pointed out that most anti-social behavior (ASB) is carried out by those walking around with alcohol during the day and sitting on stairs of HMOs intimidating passers by.
National Landlords Association (NLA)
Representative from the NLA put forward a case for accreditation and discretionary licensing of HMOs.
Councilors
Some councilors were strongly in favor of article 4, where others were more pragmatic in understanding the sheer volume of resources and financial investment required to implement. It looks more than likely to be an intermediary solution.
There were many valid points raised at the meeting, let us know your thoughts…