BEDSIT landlords will no longer be able to cram people into unsuitable conditions according to council proposals to ban room-sharing by unrelated adults.
Barnsley Council is expected to agree plans to stop room sharing in houses of multiple occupancy (known as HMOs), following reports of anti-social behaviour, serious assaults and threatening behaviour.
The new measures will allow only adults who are related or cohabiting to share rooms in these properties - or those who freely choose to share a room with a friend.
Paul Brannan, the council’s head of safer communities, told the Chronicle the measure was intended to protect vulnerable people who might be forced, coerced, or simply feel they have no option other than to share a room with an unrelated adult.
“Barnsley’s demographics are changing,” he said. “We are seeing a lot more single-person households.
“HMO housing is a sector which has grown very quickly. We are doing our very best to make sure we are in a position to be able to respond to whatever issues there are.”
According to the report due to go to the council’s cabinet next week, room sharing can exacerbate mental health conditions, particularly among those who have suffered trauma, and causes tension in households.
It can also increase tension in households, with the council received increasing reports about problems including serious assault and threatening behaviour. This year the average has been one per month, but the report says it is believed many more than this go unreported.
A property is automatically deemed an HMO if it has three stories or more, two or more households within, and five or more occupants. Those that meet all three criteria need a licence which will involve an inspection of the property in advance, and then roughly every 12 months thereafter.
Almost 100 are currently licensed in Barnsley and an estimated 250 are currently non-licenseable HMOs as they don’t meet one or more of the criteria, but government is considering changes to the regulations to include two-storey buildings.
Mr Brannan said: “One point I would like to make very clear is that we’re not saying all landlords are bad landlords - far from it. We have some really fantastic landlords who provide a very valuable service.
“All we are saying is that there is an element of the sector we need to understand better, and we perhaps need to regulate better.”
The new approach will allow the council’s safer neighbourhood service to review HMO tenant numbers and ensure properties have appropriate room sizes and amenities. The team will also monitor HMO owners and landlords to ensure they adhere to the policy.
The changes are an extension to the existing Private Sector Housing Enforcement Strategy, approved earlier this year. This strategy sets out a series of priorities to maintain and improve the conditions of privately-owned properties across the borough.
It aims to promote efficient and effective housing inspection and enforcement, to create safer and healthier communities.
Coun Jenny Platts said: “The council is working with owners, landlords, letting agents and tenants to raise the standards of private-rented housing throughout Barnsley.
“We know that the majority of landlords maintain properties to a good standard, but there are some who neglect their responsibilities.
“This amendment to the policy is another tool that will help us reduce the risk of crime and disorder to create community cohesion and safety.”
The Safer Neighbourhood Service is a partnership between Barnsley Council and South Yorkshire Police to improve community safety and neighbourhood policing.
