Fed-up Residents Start Anti-Landlord Poster Protest

Fed-up Residents Start Anti-Landlord Poster Protest

16:17 PM, 25th January 2012, About 12 years ago 3

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Student landlords are bearing the brunt of protests from residents fed up with noise and rowdy behaviour.

Residents from neighbourhoods in major university cities all over the country are voicing their anger at student developments and shared houses.

In Fallowfield, Manchester, residents have started an anti-landlord poster campaign after they encountered problems selling homes.

They claim unruly students have down-valued the price of their homes with antics like all-night parties, drunkenness and general bad behaviour, which they say has continued despite tickings off from Manchester University and the Manchester Metropolitan University.

The posters have gone up in St Ives Road and surrounding streets where shared student houses outnumber family homes.

Protestors are urging residents not to sell their homes to landlords.

Resentment is also building against landlords in Glasgow, where more than 500 complaints against new student developments in the city have flooded in to councillors.

Nevertheless, they are still angering residents by allowing developers to carry on building private student halls.

They are complaining about noise, anti-social behaviour and are concerned that developments may end as empty buildings if student demand takes a downturn.

The latest planning consents in Glasgow cover developments in the city’s West End totaling more than 500 student bed spaces.

In Carlisle, residents have sent 70 letters of complaint and a 120 signature petition to councillors about plans for 490 student flats on the site of a derelict factory.

Protests against houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and student halls are also regularly before councillors in Leeds, York, and Oxford.

A student halls developer in York is trying to gather support from neighbours by claiming a 254 flat blocks of housing for students will ease the pressure on private rentals in the city and free up homes for families.

The £12 million proposal for the city centre development will take students from York St John’s University.


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Comments

18:13 PM, 25th January 2012, About 12 years ago

I must admit they make a serious point .
If I had the choice of buying identical properties for residential purposes and one of them was next to a HMO student house and the other wasn't guess which one I wouldn't buy

Mary Latham

14:38 PM, 29th January 2012, About 12 years ago

This makes me so cross most universities have been built since before most of us were born.  Universities attract students and students don't make great neighbours unless you are also a student. WHY BUY A HOME THERE?

In my experience the value of properties in high density student areas have soared over the last 10 years because landlords buy them as soon as they come on the market and often pay top prices.  Owner occupiers can sell at prices that are much higher than similar properties in non students roads. You might say that these people have lived there for many years and don't want to move and I can understand that but they must then accept that they live in a noisy student area.  I have seen the price of Vic terraces increase from £12K to £200K plus since the mid 80's, while properties close by sell for around £120K. People have choices.

As Paul said "if I had a choice of buying...." they did have a choice, why did they buy close to a university? And trust me they must be close because students don't like to live too far from the union bar these days.

We hear the same arguments from those who are holding back developments of airports - why did they buy there?

9:58 AM, 31st January 2012, About 12 years ago

An often missed point, is that typically it is only a landlord that will want to buy up a minority residential home in a student area. But the resident-vendor won't get the sale because, guess what ? The landlord won't risk a purchase as we have hit a point in time where there is too greater risk of refusal of an HMO license or the turning down of related items such as Article 4 planning permission to warrant this buy in 'hot friction areas'. That is fact. So in actuality it is these' wonderful rules' that unfortunately for the residents have 'stuffed them' as they will be marooned forever. Or put another way, some people have 'shot themselves in the foot' by complaining about friction, or put another way - don't blame the noisy houses, 'blame the rules' because it those that are in the mind of the people most likely to make the purchase - landlords - who aren't too bothered that there are other students in the area. Let nature take its course; loosen the rules to allow more fluidity - although I do feel sorry for residents because without students it wouldn't be an issue in the first place I guess.

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