Covenants and insurance for a HMO?

Covenants and insurance for a HMO?

0:02 AM, 3rd July 2023, About 10 months ago 19

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Hi, I am in the process of purchasing a freehold house, which has covenants attached to the land. One of the covenants doesn’t allow for a HMO.

The beneficiary (limited) company cannot be found at Companies House.

Can someone tell me:

Can the covenants be deemed unenforceable?

Is it possible to seek an order to declare that the covenants are unenforceable from a County Court? If so, is it practically doable in terms of cost and time?

I also want to understand how Indemnity Insurance works for HMO if I can’t lift the covenant.

1. Can the insurance pay multiple times? What does it cover?

For example, after I have the insurance and if someone challenges me for having an HMO, what does the insurance pay for? And to who?

Do I have to stop the HMO from then forever? And I cannot let out rooms any more for that house? Will it affect my credit score or leave me with a criminal record?

2. Under what circumstances can the insurance be invalidated? For example, telling the local authority about the HMO?

I’m sorry for the dummy questions above.

Appreciate your information very much in advance!

Steve


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Comments

Judith Wordsworth

9:36 AM, 3rd July 2023, About 10 months ago

What does your solicitor say?

Ian Narbeth

11:50 AM, 3rd July 2023, About 10 months ago

Steve
Restrictive covenants are a complex area of law. The fact that the beneficiary does not appear at Companies House is not definitive and may be irrelevant.

The good news is that in many cases restrictive covenants are not enforceable for various technical reasons.

Please PM me or look up my name and contact me and I may be able to help.

David Houghton

14:09 PM, 3rd July 2023, About 10 months ago

Restrictive covenants usually run with the land, exactly who can enforce them is more difficult.

The other point is HMOs are not the easiest to define. Consider how they have defined am HMO and how it effects your plans

Eileen Grace

20:03 PM, 3rd July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by David Houghton at 03/07/2023 - 14:09
Steve,
The date of the covenant could be helpful. Do neighbours have the benefit of the covenants?Have the rights ever been exercised? Lots of Victorian houses had a clause stating only one house per plot. A lot of these have been over ridden.Secondly, one unit can possibly include a hmo.
A relatively recent covenant on the sale of a former local authority house could be enforceable much more easily

Simon F

0:10 AM, 4th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Steve,
I concur with Eileen that date matters a lot.. what was even meant by HMO? ....every Victorian middle class family villa housing the family + 2 live-in domestic servants would be an HMO if current usage of the term were applied. Shared houses were the norm across society.
On who can enforce, I would assume the beneficiary limited company owned adjacent plots (and didn't want value affected before all were sold), but your neighbours could possibly claim that right.

Ian Narbeth

11:09 AM, 4th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Simon F at 04/07/2023 - 00:10Simon F, whether a covenant prevents use of the property as an HMO depends on its wording. If use is restricted to a "single household" then an HMO will not qualify.
The Victorian family villa with live-in servants would count as a single household and would not be an HMO. Even today some wealthy people have live-in nannies, cooks and other staff but their property will be a single household, not an HMO.

DAMIEN RAFFERTY

11:23 AM, 4th July 2023, About 10 months ago

You also need to know if the property is in an article 4 area.
Councils are blocking HMO,s in many parts of the country and trying to rent a property as a HMO without the correct licence could lead to a Rent Repayment order. And fines from the council.
You can't run under the radar

Troy

22:37 PM, 5th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Ian Narbeth at 03/07/2023 - 11:50
I’m interested in your comment:

“ The good news is that in many cases restrictive covenants are not enforceable for various technical reasons.”

Our next door neighbour has the benefit of a covenant on our property in that no other building/property can be built without their permission. Also an additional covenant that the property can only be used for residential use. The neighbours have given us permission to build one more dwelling on the land but they will not release us from the covenant that the property/properties must be for residential use only. We want to build a house to live in on the land and then use the existing property we currently live in as a HMO during the academic year as we live in a university town, and holiday let during the summer season. A HMO is classed as residential which would meet the covenant restrictions but a holiday let is not classed as residential. If you know of a way around this restrictive covenant I would be very, very interested to know. Many thanks.

Ian Narbeth

9:56 AM, 6th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Troy at 05/07/2023 - 22:37
Troy
Please send me a message or look up my name and contact me and I may be able to help on a professional basis.

Julesgflawyer

7:59 AM, 8th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Covenants can be personal or be attached to benefitting land, so the fact that the "beneficiary" company no longer exists may (or may not) be irrelevant. See a solicitor.

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