Belfast City Council has refused new licence applications for student type houses in South Belfast due to an overprovision of Houses of Multiple Occupation in the area.
At the council ’s latest meeting of its Licensing Committee, elected members refused the creation of new HMO’s in the Stranmillis and Botanic Avenue areas, as the applications exceeded council policy on the limit for these types of houses in the area.
Councillors turned down new applications for HMO status for 43 Stranmillis Park, 5 Riverview Street and four flats at 2A India Street.
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All the properties had previously been HMO’s but the landlords had failed to renew the licence. Elected representatives were bound by regulation not to allow the fresh applications due to an overprovision of these so-called student houses.
HMOs, which landlords lease out to three or more tenants from different addresses, have become increasingly controversial, with some arguing they have negatively affected communities and led to anti-social behaviour, in places like the Holylands and Stranmillis in South Belfast where landlords rent houses to undergraduates.
While the council policy is that HMO’s should not account for more than 30 percent of any area, in reality many streets well exceed this, with some in the Holylands reaching over 90 percent.
HMO licence renewal cannot be refused on the basis of overprovision of such properties in an area, but a new licence can be refused on these grounds. Licences are issued for a five year period, and where it is considered necessary to do so, the committee can also impose special conditions.
Recent meetings of the Belfast council committee have seen refusals for HMO’s licences after landlords forgot to renew their licence, in areas with overprovision.
In reaction to the assertion from an agent of one of the applicants that Botanic needed more HMO’s, the council officer said: “Officers would be of the opinion that there continues to be a high demand for them, but at this stage it is too early to determine whether this is an ongoing trend.”
He added: “I would caveat that with the traditional purpose built accommodation being built in the city now to house students, and proposals for additional bed spaces. So officers would believe it is too early to say whether there is a need for additional HMO’s in the locality, and as such we would not be in the position to recommend the granting of a licence as we could not be satisfied it wouldn’t result in overprovision.”
In March this year the Licensing Committee made a watershed decision to refuse a Stranmillis landlord’s HMO licence renewal, on the grounds of student anti social behaviour.
The first of its kind, the decision could open the floodgates for landlords losing their HMO licences in areas such as the Holylands and Stranmillis, providing residents can give significant evidence to the council of rowdy neighbours.
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