Students and councillors in Swansea are at loggerheads over council plans to introduce controls for shared houses.
The council wants to control standards and the number of properties by licensing houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), which are mainly lived in by students in the city.
Students fear that licensing will increase rents and reduce the number of homes available.
The Labour-controlled council is considering taking on powers that limit the opening of any new small HMOs without planning permission – and licensing landlords to raise money for providing services like rubbish collection.
A small HMO is a house shared by three to five unrelated tenants. Larger shared homes already have to apply for planning permission by law.
Swansea University students unions welfare officer Charlotte Britton said: "A lot of HMOs are student houses, and are some of the most affordable housing in the private rented sector.
"This makes them very popular for a lot of young people and those on low incomes in cities across the UK.
"These caps on HMOs have already been introduced in some university cities in England, due to certain lobby groups who think that stopping HMOs will solve problems such as incorrect waste disposal, poor housing standards and anti-social behaviour.
"So far, there is no proof that these caps have made any significant improvement in any of these areas.
"Swansea students' union also shares the same view as NUS Wales, that encouraging people within their community to engage with each other and work together to solve community tensions is much more effective than using badly thought-through planning laws."
Councillors argue that they do not want to banish HMOs from the city, but to take better control over them as HMOs in some streets outnumber private homes 8 to 1.
“This can destroy the community” said Councillor John Bayliss, who represents a ward popular with students to live in.
Councillors are to meet Welsh Assembly Government ministers to discuss the issue.
