Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Additional licensing scheme for Harringay HMOs declared - your views being sought by the council
NOTE: this consultation closes tomorrow the 7th March
One of the topics discussed at last Thusday's Area Assembly was the proposal for the additional licensing of Houses of Multiple Occupation in Harringay ward and surrounds, namely, part of Turnpike Lane and Green Lanes and all of Salisbury Road. (see map below)
Haringey aims to declare an additional licensing scheme for Harringay under the Housing Act 2004 which allows councils to introduce licensing schemes for HMOs not covered by the mandatory licensing required for HMOs that are 3 or more storeys and occupied by 5 or more occupants sharing facilities.
HMOs covered by this additional licensing scheme include bedsits, shared houses and some buildings containing self-contained flats.
Why Harringay?
Factors include the sheer number of houses that have been converted without planning permission and appropriate building control, the dumping of rubbish and furniture, complaints of poor management and disrepair in the private rented properties and associated anti-social behaviour. Much of the work done on establishing what the problems are has been carried out in partnership with local residents associations and the HMO working group, chaired by Gina Adamou.
An initial survey discovered that 50% of all converted buildings and 70% of shared accommodation did not comply with legal standards with fire precautions, security and property management being the most common failures. On Green Lanes over 50 HMOs were discovered that should have had mandatory licences and did not. The officer described poor living conditions, including units without windows, being the norm in these properties. Haringey intends to prosecute the landlords of these properties.
As an interesting aside, in response to a tweet about this, Steve of Castles Estate agents said that he was being asked to value more large properties, often in poor state of repair. He also mentioned seeing dangers like overloaded power sockets which coupled with inadequate fire precautions is a fatality in waiting. The fact that Steve is being called in surely means that these Rachmanesque landlords are taking this scheme very seriously.
What do residents need to do?
Haringey are consulting with landlords, agents, businesses and residents in the neighbourhood but welcome comments from the general public. You can find links to the consultations both for residents and landlords, as well as additional information on this page on the Haringey website . You have until 7th March to complete it.
Tags for Forum Posts: hmos
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Omotn on
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If the Town and Country Planning Act, The Landlord and Tenant Act, The mandatory license, the laws against fly tipping, the building regs and the fire regulations have not worked then why should some other optional voluntary license have any effect? What might work is the sort of visit described followed by prosecution under the exisitng lengthy list of laws. The valuations are probably to use the properties as collateral to buy even more slums, or to sell and retire to Northern Cyprus.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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The point is more that Northern Cyprus is not a recognised country so we can't chase people back there for fines etc. Right Omotn?
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Permalink Reply by 3czzc2de5j0f0 on
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does this mean that the house full of romainian travellers with there flash bmw's and merc's are going to regulated a bit more or is the over worked and under payed tax payer going to be targets again hhhmmmmmmmm let me think ? I think we all know the answer for that.
As for illegal building there are so many how are you going to stop people. If you take action and start paying builders to strip and rip property up THAT COSTS MONEY. Who is going to pay for that it will just mean that council tax ( yes john TAX ) or some other phantom cost will be set up.
I personally think its abit late in the day to start worrying about illeagal buildings, I plan to build a big extension for a new kitchen, if I do everything as per building regs, why do I need permission ITS MY HOUSE AND no way am i paying £1000 per square meter of new building thats stupid.
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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Done, thanks.
Re previous comment about who pays for illegal work being undone, surely part of the point of this is that landlords pay. Haringey have successfully prosecuted landlords who have ignored regulations before ( ok, not often enough and I don't know what they recover) but the point of this must be to change the mindset of some of the more irresponsible and greedy landlords.
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Greedy landlords yes I can understand BUT not a hard working tax payer that wants to improve the quality of their/our lives. Things such as this new regulation idea will only hit the people who are REAL residents that live under haringey rule.
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I have just seen this on the Haringey website, which suggests that there are even more laws than I listed already in place to address this problem. The penalties seem pretty puny but the improvement has now been made. PS25YR writes that visits will be made "as and when" properties apply to become registered. Surely that should read "if". Given that Lisa is already visiting these addresses, and orderes for improvements can be made, what need have we of additional voluntary licensing?
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This Council questionnaire consultation on HMO's is open only to Monday 7 March (tomorrow)
It can be completed online at:
http://www.haringey.gov.uk/current_housing_consultations>;
Click on Survey for residents. It takes just 5 minutes.
The questionnaire is open to all Harringay AND St Ann's residents.
So open to GARDENS RESIDENTS and LADDER Residents
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This is the link here:
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