Homelessness crisis looms as councils struggle with demand

Reply to the comment left by Bristol Landlord at 24/09/2023 - 18:40
My notes on this from few years ago, doesn't flow & some repeats:

We've had this problem with Licensing.
Tenant very happy, moved in 20 years ago with 1 kid. Now 4 kids in 3 bed house & now overcrowding with size of one of the bedrooms. I kid u not, Nottingham Council Selective Licensing said we have to give them notice as room too small. But we have 18 months to kick them out. I asked Homeless what they would do when tenant comes down, they said We gonna' ring u back up Mick, see if u got any houses for her cause we han't.

I deliberately put on the Licensing application forms BEDROOM TOO SMALL as per latest room sizes regs. Licensing send tenant a letter as per Legal obligations, but say If we don't hear from u within 7 days, we not pursue this further.

U can no longer house people u could have done.

I think I got Room sizes dropped from Selective Licensing in Nottingham.

Amount of people I've spoke to with these 'box' rooms where kid now older and more kids etc.
Great idea for immigrants overcrowding, but don't apply to us normal family houses. Tenants would be being chucked out all over the place 6 in one house then goes to 6 in one Travelodge room.

Yesterday we got told minimum bedroom size 6.51 sqm for over 10 years old kids. Which the Govt bringing in minimum size for Rogue Landlords overcrowding etc.
And Licensing said yesterday something like if smaller than 6.51 sqm, we or they got 18 months to move or do something about it.

Now here’s what happens in the real world, where I ain’t overcrowding like London 20 immigrants to a house.
Over the last 20 years, I’ve had bedrooms in my houses to fit single bed in & wardrobe in, I’m guessing 6ft 6 x 6ft 6. Which is less than 4 sqm. SHOCK HORRORS I hear u say.

But when woman has moved in, she says WOW, I now have 3 bed house, I have a room to put my baby in, my 5 year old, my 10 year old kid etc. Brilliant Thank you. My last council house was overcrowded, 3 kids sharing 1 bedroom

Now I’ve just read on Google, that this 6.51 sqm is too small when kid gets over 10. So what do we do? Chuck ‘em out? Are Licensing saying they can’t live there any more?
Now here’s more real world stuff for u. These rooms were only mean’t for baby. As the past 20 years have gone by, as many of you will know, housing shortage massive, & what was babies in these rooms years ago are now over 10 years old. And here’s more shock horror for u. I’ve gone in some of these rooms & woman Mum tenant has now got bunk beds in this SMALL room with TWO kids in there. What? Is that my fault? I've said u can't put two kids in there. She says where they gonna' go? The council has nothing for me. I can't afford bigger house. What do u propose I do?

All ‘cause the council can’t house them.

And I also know the other dept of the council is making their rooms even smaller so they can get their tenants out the bedroom tax trap, so the council no longer have to chase up the £15 a week cut that gets placed on tenant in 3 bed & now council can say it’s a 2 bed cause room too small, even though council know tenants will still be using it as a bedroom. You couldn’t make it up, could you.

I also have a family of 5 who lived in 3 bedroom of mine for 12 years. 5 years ago, my 5 bed come up & they moved into this one. The 53 year old brother is SO SO THANKFUL he now has his own bedroom. Which I know is smaller than 6.51 sq m. But he is SO SO GRATEFUL. But is Licensing telling him he now has to move. Where is he gonna’ go?

And Licensing will be making us evict these tenants, who then go from 6 people in a 3 bed house to 6 people in one Travelodge room.
And then the homeless department then ring us up and say Have u got anywhere for this family? And they end up going to somewhere smaller than they had before.

All REAL WORLD STUFF! But Now Licensing will be making these homeless.

Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 26/08/2023 - 07:22
I had a similar convo with Birmingham in advance of their SL. I asked what if the draft licence comes back and says 4 people to a house max when they is already more than that to start with. Famaily moved in well before SL requirements, and has more kids since start of tenancy. Existing kids (different sexes) got older so now they need separate bedroom.

Council said in that case it was ok - but I just can't let to anyone going forward who's family unit is over the limit at the time of the contract to move in. I told them not to worry - where exactly does the existing benefit tenant with a family deemed too big for the property now, go exactly when there are no council houses available to meet the requirement that they have ruled on???...... hahahah!

Reply to the comment left by Reluctant Landlord at 25/09/2023 - 11:55
We had to stop letting 2 rooms that people were willing to take and sign for saying they understood the room size requirements.

Sadly this is one stream of conversation in mire of renting and letting.

Some of the above answers state the true issues to letting to bigger families and where they will be housed, wow!

Local authorities don't care, government may reverse some rules and allow the PRS to flourish again (to save their backsides.

Many retirement age people are getting out and accidental landlords & small portfolio landlords have their decisions made for them as they file their SAs shortly. Watch the number of properties for sale in spring.

Hardship makes people look to different areas for income generation, this autumn and winter is as good as time as any to investigate dividend paying stocks, annuities, bonds, savings accounts and planning in general. Why do we need the hassle of issues when away as any hard earned income is shared with the government... Viva S24.

The government and their over regulation and interference into just about everything in our lives and business is snuffin the life out of everything.
That coupled with constant unfair cash grabbing tax hikes and no one in the entire government bless with any common sense is a total disaster for the PRS and the country as a whole.

Reply to the comment left by Reluctant Landlord at 25/09/2023 - 11:55
That's exactly my point with SL & many punitive retrospective Regs.
They bring these things in which we know the tenant can't comply with, YET the tenant moved in 20 years ago. She was here first. We wun't have moved em in, had we known a rule was coming in which was impossible to comply with.

At least Sunak has seen common sense with retrospective EPC's.

Yes u got similar imbeciles in charge of Birmingham SL.