LATEST: County council moves to change space standards for HMO properties

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Landlords have been invited to have their say about changes to a leading county council’s HMO rules around space standards.

North Devon aims to prevent more than one household living in a single room under its licensing scheme and expects to implement the new standards in September.

The council explains: “The legislation is silent on the sharing of rooms by one or more households. It is proposed that no more than one household shall occupy any room used for sleeping accommodation.”

A spokeswoman tells LandlordZONE: “We’ve had some queries from landlords and management companies since implementing our standards last July about how many people could share rooms, so we wanted to clarify things.”

New rules

The new rules should also confirm that en-suites are to be used solely by the occupier of the room and do not count as a shared bathroom.

North Devon Council’s head of planning, housing and health, Jeremy Mann, adds: “Licensing has helped improve the quality and safety of homes for people living in the private rented sector. The new standards will ensure we continue to make homes in North Devon safe, warm and secure for tenants and help the council continue to tackle rogue landlords who own or rent an HMO without meeting these minimum regulations.”

Last October, LandlordZONE reported that the county has seen a staggering 70% drop in private rented properties over the last two years as landlords have swapped to short term holiday rentals. 

The consultation is open until 20th July.

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