An agent representing a HMO landlord has told Belfast Council he experienced would-be tenants crying in his office because there were not enough student houses.
At the recent meeting of Belfast Council ’s Licensing Committee, three houses in South Belfast - at Sandhurst Gardens, Wolseley Street and University Avenue - were refused new HMO licences after the landlords had forgotten to renew the old licences. Councillors refused the new licences on the basis of overprovision of HMO properties in those areas.
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 Holyland and Stranmillis in South Belfast where landlords pack houses with undergraduates.
HMO licence renewal cannot be refused on the basis of overprovision of such properties in an area, but new licences can be refused on this basis. And the council is taking a consistent line with landlords who forget to renew their HMO, by refusing their applications for new licences.
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 in South Belfast, with some in the Holylands reaching over 90 percent.
HMOs in Sandhurst Gardens in Stranmillis amount to 45 percent of the total dwelling units; in Wolseley Street, between Botanic and the Holyland, they amount to 50percent; and in University Avenue, also between Botanic and the Holyland, they amount to 46 percent.
Director of Giant Property estate agents, Chris Dolan, was the managing agent for the Sandhurst Gardens application. He told the Licensing Committee: “I manage a number of HMO properties predominantly based around the university area of South Belfast, and I would like to emphasise the current demand there for HMO property, not only from students, but also from young professionals, migrant workers, asylum seekers, and contractors.
“The Housing Executive is also looking for HMO accommodation to use as emergency accommodation in the area. As someone dealing with rental properties in South Belfast for almost 20 years, I have never seen demand like it in the last two or three years. I would say we are in a housing crisis in Belfast.”
He said: “We are only one small company within Belfast, but we are putting HMO properties on our website for a maximum of two hours, because we have to take them down. The phones are ringing, people are arriving at the doors of the office, parents coming in with children, people coming almost in tears into the office on a weekly basis.”
He added: “We have a number of landlords on our books, who for whatever reason, a clerical error, or that they didn’t receive reminders, have not had their HMO licence renewed. All that is doing is limiting the number of bedrooms. I will have a four or five bedroom property that I can only now let to two people.
"I will still let the property to two people and I will still get £1,100 or £1,200 a month for the property. All that is doing is that there will now be two people living there paying £550 or £600 each, heating a five bedroom property in the middle of a cost of living crisis, with three bedrooms remaining empty because I legally can’t fill them.”
He said there were 20 bedrooms sitting empty in South Belfast through his company because landlords had not renewed their HMO licence, and could not get a new one because of the council’s 30 percent HMO policy.
DUP Councillor Tracy Kelly asked the agent: “You talk about many people waiting for housing in South Belfast - do you ever try and rent your housing to families instead of students?”
He replied: “Most of the HMO properties aren’t suitable for families. We find the properties are let to young professionals who take the smaller rooms and pay the higher rent. Very rarely you find families wanting to live in those areas.”
Alliance Councillor Mickey Murray said: “There is only demand for HMOs in this area because HMOs have priced out private rentals. There is a two bedroom apartment in the area without a living room going for £1,200 a month - which is ridiculous. It is a result of too many HMOs.
“Ten years ago the biggest reason for homelessness was the breakdown of relationships, so I don’t buy that the housing crisis is going to be saved by HMOs, and that homeless people aren’t going to be homeless because of HMOs.”
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