Tenants in shared homes ‘face rent rises or eviction’ due changes to rules for landlords
Changes to rules for landlords mean tenants will fork out the extra cost, the National Landlords Association warns
HUNDREDS of thousands of tenants are facing higher rents or eviction due to changes to government rules, the National Landlords Associations (NLA) has warned.
From today, any landlord who lets a property to five or more people from two different families must hold a licence from their local authority.
The government has also introduced minimum room size requirements, meaning some landlords will be unable to rent out all the rooms in their homes.
The NLA warns that these costs will be passed on to tenants and it's particularly unfair on renters with low-incomes who can choose a smaller room to reduce their housing bills.
The changes, which have been introduced to raise housing standards for tenants, affect more than 160,000 homes across England.
Licence costs vary based on the location of the house but the average cost for a landlord is believed to be around £1,200.
What are the changes to room size requirements
LANDLORDS must now ensure that rooms are at of a minimum measurement.
- 6.51m2 for one person over 10 years of age
- 10.22m2 for two persons over 10 years of age
- 4.64m2 for one child under the age of 10 years
Previously, only houses more than three storeys with five or more people from at least two different families had to be licenced.
But the rule, removes the three-storey threshold and now applies to smaller homes.
Richard Lambert chief executive of the NLA told the : "Extra regulation will increase landlords costs. When costs go up, like any other business, landlords will look to pass on that additional cost in the price, meaning tenants will pay more in rent.
"Some landlords will also reduce the number of rooms they rent out to try and comply with the legislation, meaning some tenants will face eviction."
The Tenants Union argued that all rented accommodation should be subject to regulation to help ensure standards rise.
A spokesperson said: “Renters are already facing a perfect storm of rent increases at a time when more people are having to deal with shrinking wage packets.
“We welcome this additional legislation, but we feel that there is still further to go and that all rented accommodation should be subject to regulation, to ensure standards rise”.
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Last month, The Sun revealed how renting out a furnished flat costs renters up to £128 a month more.
Nearly half of renters are relying on borrowing from the bank or from friends and family for a tenancy deposit.
This is partly why campaigners are backing new schemes, like passporting, that mean tenants don't have to pay one before moving into a property.
But there are fears that the ideas that are being put forward could actually push up tenant bills.
How quickly should rental repairs be fixed?
UNDERSTANDABLY the time a fault should be fixed depends on the severity of the issue. Here's what you need to know.
Landlord associations generally advise that if there is a "significant risk of danger to the health, safety or security of a tenant" then the issue must be resolved within 24 hours.
Landlords have three working days to resolve problems that "materially affect the comfort or convenience" of residents and up to 28 days for less urgent repairs.
Around 1.85million tenant households have had disrepair in the past four years that their landlord was responsible for and that wasn't fixed within the agreed timescales, according to Citizens Advice research.
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