New rules to tackle growth of student lets in York

Cabinet members at City of York Council will next week be asked to confirm an “Article 4 Direction”, which would mean planning permission from the authority is needed when someone wants to change an ordinary house to a house of multiple occupation for between three and six people.

A council spokeswoman said the direction, which comes into force next April was being used in a number of other cities nationally including Leeds, Portsmouth and Manchester.

She said cabinet members had other options, including no change to the current approach and the use of an accreditation scheme to improve the standard of HMOs but without an Article 4 Direction.

Cabinet member Tracy Simpson-Laing said a report to the cabinet sought to strike a sensible balance on the issue of HMOs.

She said: “It offers options that could help us ensure we get well- managed HMOs in York and maintain balanced communities, including protecting more family accommodation for that purpose.”

The meeting comes just over three months after new figures revealed that the number of student lets in two areas of York – Hull Road and Osbaldwick – had more than trebled in just over a decade.

The figures were obtained by Osbaldwick resident Mark Warters, who has been strongly pressing for an Article 4 Direction.

He said yesterday he would welcome any introduction of Article 4 which he said would put the interests of existing long-term residents ahead of the commercial interests of the educational establishment and landlord.

He claimed some landlords were attempting to rush through conversions now before Article 4 came in next April and he would like it to be introduced more quickly to prevent this.