LANDLORDS MASS LOBBY TO SAVE THE PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR
Private sector landlords are urging support from MPs in a last stand to save the future of renting to students and young professionals.
Nurses, teachers and a generation of young workers could be hit by a government plan to prohibit areas of shared housing for groups of unrelated tenants.
The legislation comes into force on 6 April when new powers will allow planning legislation to be used to control the renting of shared properties to people who are not families or related tenants.
“Landlords throughout the UK need to make their voices heard – urgently,” says Alan Ward, chairman of the Residential Landlords Association - whose members own over 100,000 private rented properties throughout the UK.
It will be the biggest mass landlord lobby of local MPs ever organised – with some 40,000 landlords receiving an email to contact their MPs, as well as the government, and make their protest heard.
“The government’s change to planning Use Classes Orders,” says Alan Ward, ”is bad not only for landlords but for the whole private rented sector not to mention the local economies that have traditionally grown around existing areas of shared housing.
“After 6 April planning permission will be needed if a landlord wants to rent what has been a family house or flat to three or more unrelated people such as nurses, students, young professionals, immigrant workers, a family with a lodger and even the elderly. It could wreck the private rented sector.
“And all because the Secretary of State, John Denham, will not listen to the combined voices of landlords, tenants, students, letting agents, local retailer organisations and bodies like the RLA, British Property Federation and National Union of Students - who are all against this.
“Everyone against this sorry attempt to use planning laws for social engineering purposes – to dictate who is allowed to live where – should make their voice heard by asking their local MP to oppose this very damaging and impractical proposal.
“The whole issue – often referred to as ‘studentification’ was stated in the government’s own commissioned ‘Rugg Report’, 17 months ago, to be a minor issued not requiring legislation. But, for some reason, the government has over-ruled this independent report and thinks it knows better.”