Tough new laws on HMOs

HALTON Borough Council has said it does not expect any properties in Runcorn and Widnes to be affected by a Government crackdown on ‘rogue landlords’ offering tiny rooms to rent in houses of multiple occupation (HMO).

The Department For Communities And Local Government (DCLG) has announced it is to impose ‘tough new powers’ and putting unscrupulous owners ‘on notice.

A Halton Council spokeswoman said the local authority checks the sizes of HMO bedrooms every year anyway.

Minimum room dimensions were revealed as one of the steps the Government is taking to ‘crack down on bad practice’ in the rental sector.

One adult bedroom will have to be no smaller than 6.51 sqm, and those slept in by two adults must be no smaller than 10.22 sqm.

Rooms used for sleeping by children of 10 years and younger will have to be no smaller than 4.64 sq m.

Other reforms include the potential to ban landlords who have a criminal record for offences such as burglary and stalking.

In 2016, the Weekly News published data in 2016 showing there were 159 bedrooms in HMOs across Halton.

The DCLG said the latest policies build on previous rules brought into force in 2017 under the Housing And Planning Act 2016, which unveiled a raft of penalties for bad landlords: fines of up to £30,000; the extension of rent repayment orders to cover illegal eviction, banning order breaches and failures to comply with a statutory notice; banning orders for the most prolific and serious offenders; and a database of rogue landlords and letting agents.