Latest news with #HMO
The National
4 days ago
- General
- The National
Landlord let man stay in 'Harry Potter' cupboard under some stairs
John Friel said that the discovery of the man staying in the cupboard had been described as 'Harry Potter style' and was a 'bit of a joke'. But he said the reality was that the man needed somewhere to stay, and the alternative was turning him out on the street. Speaking to East Lothian licensing subcommittee this week Friel, who has applied for House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) licences for two houses on Haddington's Hope Park, said the tenant had been staying in one of the houses but had to move into the neighbouring property. READ MORE: 'Real wake-up call': Significant decline among harbour seals in Scotland, study finds At the time, he said, he had no room available and the man was having problems with his employers. He said: 'I let him stay in the cupboard under the stairs, I was helping him out, it was referred to as Harry Potter style at the time, it was a bit of a joke but the alternative was he would have been on the street and I didn't want that.' In the Harry Potter books the orphaned title character initially lives in the cupboard under the stairs of his aunt's home. The use of the cupboard was included in a report to the sub committee which raised a number of issues about the two houses. The committee was told one of the properties had an HMO licence which expired over three years ago while the other did not have one. Friel told the committee he had been unwell for a time which had impacted on his ability to apply for the licensing and said he had been unaware the smoke alarm system in one of the properties was not up to standard. The committee heard Friel sent emails confirming the electrical work required to update the alarms had been carried out minutes before they met to discuss the licence applications on Thursday this week. However, fire watch commander Torquil Cramer told the meeting he would have to visit the house and confirm the system was in place before he could update them on the properties. Among concerns raised by licensing officers to the committee were claims single beds were discovered in garden sheds at both properties, tenants paid in cash and enforcement action was ongoing over the change of use of the houses without permission. It was also claimed Friel had put 'pods' in a conservatory at the back of one property which was erected without planning permission, however the landlord said the insulated pods were intended to be used to breed dogs not for tenants. The sub committee agreed to defer a decision on whether to grant licences or not until the next meeting to give fire officers time to inspect the properties and gather updates on outstanding issues.
STV News
4 days ago
- General
- STV News
Landlord let man stay in 'Harry Potter' cupboard as 'a bit of a joke'
A landlord who admitted a tenant slept in a cupboard under the stairs defended his action, saying it kept the man off the street. John Friel said that the discovery of the man staying in the cupboard had been described as 'Harry Potter style' and was a 'bit of a joke'. He said the reality was that the man needed somewhere to stay, and the alternative was to turn him out on the street. Speaking to the East Lothian licensing subcommittee this week, Mr Friel, who has applied for the House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) licences for two houses on Haddington's Hope Park, said the tenant had been staying in one of the houses but had to move into the neighbouring property. He said he had no room available at the time, and the man was having problems with his employers. He said, 'I let him stay in the cupboard under the stairs. I was helping him out. It was referred to as Harry Potter style at the time. It was a bit of a joke, but the alternative was he would have been on the street, and I didn't want that.' In the Harry Potter books, the orphaned title character initially lives in the cupboard under the stairs of his aunt's home. The use of the cupboard was included in a report to the sub committee which raised a number of issues about the two houses. The committee was told that one of the properties had an HMO licence that expired over three years ago, while the other did not have one. Mr Friel told the committee he had been unwell for a time which had impacted on his ability to apply for the licensing and said he had been unaware the smoke alarm system in one of the properties was not up to standard. The committee heard Mr Friel sent emails confirming the electrical work required to update the alarms had been carried out minutes before they met to discuss the licence applications on Thursday this week. However, fire watch commander Torquil Cramer told the meeting he would have to visit the house and confirm the system was in place before he could update them on the properties. Among concerns raised by licensing officers to the committee were claims that single beds were discovered in garden sheds at both properties, tenants paid in cash and enforcement action was ongoing over the change of use of the houses without permission. It was also claimed that Mr Friel had put 'pods' in a conservatory at the back of one property, which was erected without planning permission. However, the landlord said the insulated pods were intended to be used to breed dogs, not for tenants. The subcommittee agreed to defer a decision on whether to grant licences or not until the next meeting to give fire officers time to inspect the properties and gather updates on outstanding issues. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
HMO with 18 beds approved for former Grimsby accountants' office
Plans to turn a former accountants' office into an 18-bed house in multiple occupation (HMO) have been approved, despite concerns about traffic and East Lincolnshire Council passed the proposal for the building on Dudley Street, Grimsby, by five votes to three on agent, Matt Deakins, said the development would only need six parking spaces due to its proximity to the town centre and transport Augusta, a Park ward councillor who opposed the plans, described it as "overdevelopment, plain and simple" in an area "already oversaturated" with HMOs. Augusta said people living on neighbouring Pelham Road already faced parking issues and raised the prospect of a potential impact on community cohesion."A full building housing 18 unrelated inhabitants is not compatible with this part of Grimsby town centre," he to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the building would be the third HMO on Dudley Mickleburgh, a councillor for the south ward, argued there had been a noted increase in demand for people who wanted to live on their own, which the HMO would cater for. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Warning Hull HMOs 'tear social fabric of society'
A senior councillor warned houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) risk "tearing up the social fabric of streets and communities" in Hull. Paul Drake-Davis, cabinet member with responsibility for housing at Hull City Council, said, in some parts of the city, up to half of homes are HMOs with people who are not related sharing called for better regulation of landlords and said the HMOs were causing "too many horror stories". However, letting agent and developer Jason Kay said there was a demand for more HMOs and the standard of affordable housing would improve if more developments were allowed. Sylvia Rawson, who lives just off Hull's Beverley Road, said a family used to live in the property next door, but it has since become an HMO. "There's lots of fights and screaming of a night," she told BBC Look North. "The police have been next door four times. And they come in twos as well. That's how bad it's got." Mattresses dumped outside terraced houses, long lines of bins and fly-tipping are not hard to find in parts of the city near where Ms Rawson lives. Fellow resident Virgina Dobre said: "There's a big mess inside the houses, and a big mess everywhere. The people don't care." Charlotte Marwood and her boyfriend live in an HMO in Hull and said they benefit from the low rental price which also includes bills."You get your bills included. Everything's all in. It keeps the cost down, and it's worth the price," Ms Marwood said. According to Hull City Council, there are approximately 2,000 properties which could be defined as houses of mulitple occupancy in Hull. One thousand of those are occupied by five or more people and are subject to mandatory licensing, and another 1,000 are occupied by three or four people. In addition, there are 1,550 buildings which have been converted into self-contained flats. These contain two or more flats and are potentially occupied by three or more people, which means they also meet the definition of an HMO under legislation. Like other authorities, Hull City Council regulates areas where planning permission is required before an HMO can be approved. However, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has warned over-regulation, high interest rates, inconsistent licensing regulations and unfavourable tax policies are affecting the rental legislation introduced in 2018 means all HMOs housing five or more people from two or more separate households must be licensed by the local are required to agree to a series of conditions, as well as having their properties inspected and certified. "We're living in a society where people need this level of housing," Mr Kay said. "We've still got all the lower standard [housing] stock because people can't build new HMOs. They are restricted by the council."Mr Kay said he had recently completed developing a 24-bed property on Anlaby Road, and would soon start another 32 bed development on Beverley to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Inside Britain's most BITTER school-run row: How grandfather has been fighting 'selfish' parents and 'useless' council for 11 years... but finally the battle might be over
A grandfather locked in a never-ending parking war against school-run parents has lost a battle to turn his him into a 'migrant hotel'. Furious John Walsh claims to have spent £7k on an 11-year solo crusade against 'selfish' mums and dads using his street as a rat run. He has sent more than 200 letters to his 'useless' local council in Chatham, Kent begging them to install speed bumps, bollards, gates and signage to crack down on nuisance motorists who he says have ruined his life. But after a hard-fought campaign resulted in silence from council chiefs, Mr Walsh launched a bizarre quest to turn his home into a HMO in an effort to get revenge on the council and his neighbours. The pensioner believed potential anti-social behaviour and anxiety caused by future tenants at his tidy suburban home would give his 'wokerati' enemies the ultimate payback for their lack of support and ridicule. He told MailOnline: 'After ten years I'm f****** fed up with it. I've been mocked and ridiculed enough, I don't really care anymore. The parents don't give a s***, they're selfish b*******. 'I'm not a NIMBY, I'm a working class person who has worked hard all their life who thinks he deserves a bit of peace. Why should I put up with the world's traffic? 'I want the council to think: 'F*** it, let's put in a couple of humps to shut him up'. 'I'll be moving to Russia at this point, I've got a Russian wife. It's like England was 50 years ago, I'm not even kidding.' John's ordeal began in 2014 when he contacted Medway Council's highways department about the behaviour of motorists and condition of Lambourn Way, the road he has lived on for decades in the Lordswood area. He alleges that parents of children at St Benedicts Roman Catholic Primary School - which has around 210 pupils - were a 'constant nonsense', blocking drives, obscuring vision for motorists and parking on the pavement at drop-off and pick-up, causing major issues for residents. 'I had a stroke three years ago, my wife drove me to hospital and we were stuck on our drive for ten minutes because a car was parked across it', the 72-year-old claims. Other issues include what he claims was a substandard road surface full of potholes and the street being used as a rat-run with cars racing down at around '40mph' which he says creates 'deafening' noise and adds to the traffic. Sick to the back teeth and wanting to simply 'live in peace', John brought it upon himself to lobby the council. He requested changes be made to the area, including the installation of parking measures, such as road gates and bollards to prevent noise, disruption and access issues. But the grandfather-of-15, whose detached five bed home was recently valued at £478k, said he was met with a wall of silence. He remained resolute as he found himself confronting parents on the school run, filming their poor parking and even being told to 'f*** off' by people allegedly dancing on his drive. The issues culminated in 2022 when, along with 84 other signatures from neighbours, he submitted a petition urging officials to resurface the road, which stretches around 250 metres. He wound up at the council's regeneration, culture, and environment overview and scrutiny committee at the end of February last year but was quickly dismissed. The council argued their traffic survey, carried out over 220 hours during school holidays at a cost £10,000, proved no work was needed. They also dismissed John's concerns that Chatham residents would use Lambourn Way and adjoining Knole Road as a rat run to dodge traffic on North Dane Lane and Albemarle Road, which are both arterial routes. John branded the exercise as pointless and evidence Medway Council 'don't have the money or can't be bothered' to deal with the concerns of residents. He believes they are more interested in spending 'hundreds of thousands on DEI projects'. 'When a whole road of people, with very few exceptions, sign a petition that they want something done and all the council does is ignore it, you haven't got a democracy anymore have you?', John, a father of five, who restores old 1970s Honda CB motorcycles, said. 'We were strung along for months and months and months, it's just councillors doing what they want.' Last year, as tensions between John and Medway Council hit breaking point, he announced plans to turn his house into a House of Multiple Occupancy and start a 'migrant hotel'. He said the move was a 'leverage' threat to get the council to pay attention to him and his concerns, and perhaps play them at their own game. Some of his neighbours, however, take a different view on how the saga has unfolded. 'I read what he was writing and thought it was all really over the top - that's just my opinion', says Richard Thurston, 77, who has lived on the road for over 40 years. He added: 'The school was here before him. The parents start arriving at 3.20pm, 15 minutes and they're gone. I've been blocked in once or twice in 40 years.' Another neighbour branded John a 'well known whiner' and 'NIMBY', an acronym for the phrase 'not in my back yard', considered a derogatory term to ridicule local level anti-development campaigners. While one resident laughed at John's 'idle threat' of turning his home into a migrant hotel and said his behaviour was 'just attention seeking'. While acknowledging the school run parking is 'atrocious', they added: 'You move here, you know there's a school on the road. You check out where you live. If you don't like it, just move!' Another local added: 'From my perspective, I've lived here 20 years. There are problems with parents with parking. The issue is an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. It's all over the top. It's common knowledge the school is there. If you live 'I have been blocked in a couple of times. I've made it known to the school. Yes it's annoying but it's down to the council to enforce it. It's a minor inconvenience. It's not a regular inconvenience. It's annoying but it's down to the council. I haven't supported any petitions.' Another resident, who also wished to remain anonymous in order to keep the peace on the street, added: 'When I bought the property I knew there was a school. We've been blocked in a couple of times.' But some do sympathise with John, including Mrs Freeman, who said: 'I am definitely in sympathy with him. People park right up to my drive, I have had great difficulty getting out. 'I used to have to leave at 2.30pm to avoid being blocked in. I have been hit side-on by oncoming traffic. It is a problem. However parents do not intentionally block people's driveways, I feel they have no alternative. I don't want speed bumps because they're a real pain. They damage cars.' 'It has inconvenienced me to leave much earlier. But they don't have much option.' Hitting back at the accusations from neighbours, John said: 'Quite a lot of people around are what you might loosely call professionals, lawyers and other useless wokerati people, who don't make anything and don't do anything, just work for other people, they can call me what they like.' Asked why he doesn't just sell up and move, something many residents who spoke to MailOnline suggested, he added: 'Why should I have to move because of an intransigent bloody Council.' But the prospect is not totally out of the question and he admits the eleven year ordeal left him and wife Irina considering something along the lines of an A Place in The Sun-style lock-up-and-leave villa in Spain or Italy to spend the winter in. His frustration has grown so much about the 'state of the country and where it's headed' that Irina's motherland of Russia is also on the cards. To claw back some control over his ordeal, John has spent £600 installing a cherry laurel hedge around his drive to cut noise and give some privacy. He said: 'It's to buy back my privacy. We have dog walkers who piss up the lamppost. You've got no privacy here. You've got everybody and their dog looking at you. 'Out of sight, out of mind.' A spokesman for Medway Council said: 'Medway Council takes the concerns of residents seriously, and makes every effort to respond to issues raised in petitions. In response to the petition led by Mr Walsh, the Council undertook a range of work, which included conducting numerous surveys to investigate traffic movements in the area. The surveys were carried out during school term time (June 2023), so school traffic was captured, and the outcome of this work was reported to the lead petitioner following conclusion. 'The matter was considered at the Regeneration, Culture and Environment (RCE) Overview and Scrutiny Committee in February 2024, following referral to that committee, and was discussed in full. This petition was therefore taken very seriously, duly considered, and followed democratic process. 'One element of the traffic study, conducted in response to the petition, investigated the impact of introducing a single point closure at Knole Road, which was part of the petition request. The study also considered the likely impact of displaced traffic, and the impact on vehicle speeds. 'Once completed, the study did not identify clear benefits in terms of network capacity or road safety of restricting the use of Knole Road.'
