Summer Budget 2015 – Landlords Reactions

Reply to the comment left by "Manchester Landlord" at "07/10/2015 - 18:13":

Hmmmm. Clearly. ...They don't give a dam. Twits.

Reply to the comment left by "Manchester Landlord" at "07/10/2015 - 18:13":

It is up to landlords in general to make sure that this tax does have a large impact on both property prices and rent. I shall be converting pairs of my studio flats into one bedroom flats (I own the freehold so I can do what I like), a move which does not require planning permission. This will put some upward pressure on rents in my local area.

Don't get mad get even.

Reply to the comment left by "Manchester Landlord" at "07/10/2015 - 18:13":

Much of it is just copy & pasted from the standard DG reply to any & all comments or questions about Clause 24.

Part of my plan to increase revenue was to add a few extra bedrooms here and there in my HMOs in Cardiff. I now discover the local council's planning department is trying to rush through its plan to stop any more expansion like this, before Christmas, under 'supplementary planning guidance.' My local letting agent is saying 'Get your works done fast!' but we can't really when people are in situ and signed up until the end of next June. Talk about being hounded from all directions.
And it's so stupid during a 'housing crisis.' As long as landlords ensure the minimum bedroom sizes are adhered to and ditto regarding the communal areas, I'm wondering if they have the power to do this? It's so illogical to try and stop us maximising the use of space when there is so much demand. It all has to be inspected and passed etc., and all rooms are for single occupancy. It's like being governed by idiots whichever way we turn. And I am wondering if they can legally stop us.

How patronising can you make the end to your letters? I bet you can't hold a candle to Mr Gauke!

'Thank for taking the trouble to make us aware of your concerns'

An indication of the true character of the man there IMO

Reply to the comment left by "Jon Pipllman" at "07/10/2015 - 19:44":

He ends all his letters in a similar derogatory way.

Not sure what you mean by 'I bet you can’t hold a candle to Mr Gauke!'. ?? I take it that you are not suggesting that he's in some way a superior human being because he regurgitates meaningless rhetoric?

My wife and I have 6 degrees between us (BSc Hons, BA Hons, 2 x MSc, MBA & a DPhil Oxon for good measure) and both have IQ results well above minimum Mensa (& infinitely above MP) entry requirements. Our moral compasses are also well balanced, despite being involved in a sector that clearly the political elite and their sponsors now want a piece of!

I don't want to become a conspiracy theorist, but do you genuinely think Clause 24 with the very manipulative way it was announced is for the greater good of (1) UK plc and (2) FTBs?

Reply to the comment left by "Ros ." at "07/10/2015 - 19:42":

14. Do I need Planning Permission to add additional rooms to an
authorised C4 HMO?
If additional rooms can be accommodated without external development works,
planning permission would only be required if the completed building is to be
occupied by more than 6 unrelated people as a change of use (to the larger type of
HMO) may have occurred.
Any external building works to accommodate the additional rooms, such as an
extension to the footprint or a roof alteration, would constitute operational
development that may require planning permission as a Class C4 (HMO) and larger
“Sui Generis” HMO. Please contact the Planning Duty Officer to confirm whether the
HMO does benefit from “permitted development” rights to build extensions without
planning permission, and see the link for the Planning Inspectorate’s advice
permitted development rights:
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/pins/advice_for_inspectors/hmo_2014.p

>Mark S

"I take it that you are not suggesting that he’s in some way a superior human being because he regurgitates meaningless rhetoric?"

No, my post was specifically about the ending of the letter.

I am suggesting that a person of normal mind, manner and temperament would have to go considerably out of their way in order to come up with a way of signing off that was anything like as condescending as that which seems to flow so freely from the nib of Mr Gauke's fountain pen.

I wouldn't single out Clause 24's announcement as any more (or less) manipulative (spun) than any other announcement from recent governments.

IMO: I don't think the impact of Clause 24 will be significant enough to have any sustained impact on UK plc. Looking back on the overall economy from, say, 2040, I don't think it will be possible to attribute much to Clause 24 in the grand scheme of things.

IMO: Same for FTBs too. There might be a few that have a chance to buy a particular property at a particular moment that they otherwise might not have had. There might be a few that have higher rents to find and a few that have to make unplanned house moves. But, in the grand scheme of the housing market, I don't think Clause 24 will mark any significant turning point on its own.

Where it might mark a turning point is that it might come to be recognised as the first of a series of measures feted to discourage individual investment in leveraged BTL. Let's see what the Autumn statement and subsequent budgets bring.

Also, given the obvious gaps in the OBR data and with no wholly credible alternative source of data on which to make any assessment, I think the ramifications will only actually become clear in and around 2020.

>Kathy Miller

When licences come in, might councils use that as an opportunity to tighten up further on such matters? You can only have a licence, Mr Landlord, if you have XYZ....

Reply to the comment left by "KATHY MILLER" at "07/10/2015 - 20:54":

Thanks for looking that up Kathy and posting it. You know how to find the answers to everything! I think that would mean that in one house where I am hoping to turn two bedrooms into three by moving some walls and doors and in the end the house would be a 6-bed, 2-bath house, should be okay.
With another one, it's always let as a three-bed as the 4th bedroom is a bit small. I'm trying to get my head around that one as the small bedroom is kind-of out on a limb at the back of the house. I was thinking of trying to extend that out slightly - a bit like a side return but on the 1st floor - maybe on some kind of posts... sounds like a pig's ear, I know, but maybe my builder would have a better idea. It would only need to come out by less than a metre, and maybe be about 2 and half metres long, I think - I don't know the sizes off-hand. But these kinds of changes could make a big difference to the revenue. With the second one though, it would change the roof, which was mentioned. I'll have to think about that one.
I was also thinking next summer of doing more significant works - changing a 6-bed to an 8-bed possibly, creating a bigger lounge-kitchen etc. It is already licensed under selective or additional licensing - I forget which (can't be arsed with all the jargon) - that one might be tricky as well as they don't like these big ones (no double entendre intended).