New 'beefed up' rules to give Portsmouth council more powers on shared homes

NEW 'beefed up' rules on shared homes in the city have been approved in a bid to give the council more power.
By Fiona Callingham
Published 24th Jul 2019, 19:08 BST
Updated 25th Jul 2019, 10:54 BST
Portsmouth City Council has changed rules for larger HMOsPortsmouth City Council has changed rules for larger HMOs
Portsmouth City Council has changed rules for larger HMOs

Councillors agreed to reword its policy on houses in multiple occupancy (HMOs) in the hope of protecting neighbours from 'over-saturation.'

The changes mean that conversions for HMOs of up to six people expanding to allow for more tenants will have to prove it will not have a negative impact on local amenity to get permission.

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Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson: 'We already had rules but they were just blanket. This is just about beefing it up.'

Housing boss Cllr Darren Sanders hoped restricting the number of people in one home would make renting privately more appealing. He said: 'Too many people are on our waiting lists because they are worried about renting privately.'

Cllr Rob Wood added: 'When a developer comes to the city they should know the rules.'

Related topics:PortsmouthCouncillors

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