The area, which is within commuting distance of London's top universities - including, but not all; Kings College, London School of Economics, The University of East London, The University of Greenwich, SOAS and the University of Middlesex. The area is widely popular with students - especially the Tottenham Hale, Seven Sisters and Wood Green areas.
The Residential Landlords' Association has officially submitted their official objections to Haringey Council's latest proposals for a new HMO licensing scheme in the Tottenham area. The RLA are vociferously against the scheme.
The RLA argues that Haringey's plans go against the current system of HMO and selective licensing for multiple occupancy in the county. The RLA argues "the fee structure and the projected budget may be contrary to the European Services Directive" The RLA fear that Haringey could profit from the scheme. The RLA argues "the Council cannot include the costs of enforcing the licensing scheme against unlicensed landlords in the licence fee. This is prohibited by the ESD."
Other objections include the cost of licensing and the lack of wider policy in terms of social regeneration and improvement as "insufficient resources are being employed to improve the area. One final objection is the lack of transparency in the application process. The RLA claims the ESD regulations state that the processing time for an application means local authorities are required "to publicly state the time taken to process the application." Furthermore, the RLA claims if the Council goes against the ESD regulations "any impermissible overcharge can be recovered by way of a claim for restitution."
The Guardian reports that on the 'front-line', many tenants have started to protest the lack of quality and security in private rental properties in the Haringey area. It has spurred the growth of housing action groups, which "attempt to inspect local lettings agencies in protest at high rents and high agency charges." These groups are also eyeing-up 'rouge' landlords and are "campaigning for everything from a ban on 'retaliatory evictions' to the abolition of fees and introduction of rent controls".
It should be noted that these changes will not visibly impact those sound landlords in the Haringey area who cater for the HMO (especially students) marketplace. However, as a precaution, if you are a HMO landlord in Haringey (and this is happening across the country from Blackpool to Plymouth) perhaps you should get in contact with your local council to find the full terms and conditions of their HMO regulations.
