Southwark insist I leave a room unoccupied so going to Tribunal – Help!

Southwark insist I leave a room unoccupied so going to Tribunal – Help!

7:56 AM, 20th May 2017, About 7 years ago 25

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HMO License in Southwark insisting I have an empty room. Appealing to tribunal.

I have a flat in Southwark, 3 bedrooms and living room which I refurbished 3 years ago. Have 4 people, each have their own room and the living room is now a bedroom, and very happy. I am having to apply for HMO as all properties like this (2 or more families, with 3 or more people) need license.

The smallest double room has to remain unoccupied, because they say the kitchen ( with breakfast bar for 2 and usual space for cooker, f/f, oven hob washing machine) is too small for 4 and the bedroom (double bed, wardrobe, desk, chair chest bedside, 8.61m) was too small as well.

Now I will only be allowed 3 tenants with I guess a living room, but that will mean with a living room 3 will each pay more. AAArrrrrgh!!!

This I know will mean several of our properties would fail in the same way.

Across London if this comes in it will add up to a huge number of rooms lost, and increased rents.

Does anyone have experience of this? I appreciate that Southwark Council are not interested on doing the right thing, only the rule thing.

Of course HMO licensing should not included room sizes, but that is another story!

Ross


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Comments

Ross Tulloch

8:12 AM, 21st June 2017, About 7 years ago

Update. I met with Southwark Council at the property and I'm delighted to say they are allowing it even though the room size does not comply which is a perfectly normal thing they are able to do if generally the place is suitable.

Batoolah Dawreeawoo

18:07 PM, 16th April 2023, About A year ago

Hi Ross

I am in a similar predicament in that I have been refused a license as Southwark state the smallest bedroom is too small!!! I would not mind sharing your experience of dealing with the issue if you can spare some time please.

Thanks
B

Reluctant Landlord

12:03 PM, 17th April 2023, About A year ago

I had a tenant who had been in prison and was more than happy to rent my very small one bed flat. Small space = small bills and the important thing was his own bathroom and kitchen area.

The £ decides on what you can rent and you have to make decisions on what's important to you. No different if you had millions to buy on a house of your choosing. There is ALWAYS a compremise to be had whatever location you choose to be based in.

Reluctant Landlord

12:10 PM, 17th April 2023, About A year ago

Yet if you had a 3 bed house (for example) of which one of the bedrooms is a small box room this is still classified as a bedroom regardless of its size.

Bloody madness.

I suggest you write to your MP explaining this madness, and get a letter from each of your tenants stating how this will effect them (increase in rent for example) and then send this off as a package response to the Council, copying in the MP as well.

I assume one less tenant is one less council tax income for the Council too? You might want to highlight this plus the fact that this would inevitably mean one more person back on their housing list if you had to evict?

Ross Tulloch

14:34 PM, 17th April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Batoolah Dawreeawoo at 16/04/2023 - 18:07
We could speak on WhatsApp. I’m abroad at the moment but on my number is (07768) 848602

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