Give councils powers to regulate short lets
We've recently responded to a government consultation by renewing our call for powers to regulate short lets in Oxford.
Over the last decade there has been a big increase in the number of short lets in Oxford - this is a major problem.
More than half of 1,697 active short lets in Oxford are let as entire properties.
Renting out entire properties as short lets for most of or all of the year means there are now fewer homes for locals in a city already struggling with a housing crisis.
The short let sector is virtually unregulated and this means we have little power to enforce standards required for other rented accommodation.
A citywide selective licensing scheme introduced on 1 September means that all private rented homes in Oxford now need a licence â however, properties let as holiday homes are exempt under the Housing Act 2004.
It is also difficult to tackle issues like antisocial behaviour and nuisance when there is a stream of different people using a property,
We've responded to the Department for Digital, Culture Media & Sport consultation reiterating previous calls for a mandatory licensing scheme for whole house short lets.
We've been asking for this since 2018.
Mandatory licensing would ensure owners meet minimum safety standards with their short let properties. It would make investigating complaints significantly easier and allow us to set conditions to address local needs â such as restricting noise levels at night or littering.
In the most extreme cases, it would provide us with wider and easier to use powers to take action against the illegal use of short lets.
Tribunal orders management company to refund rent to tenants in unlicensed accommodation
A tribunal has ordered a student accommodation management company to refund more than ÂŁ84,000 in rent after it ran an unlicensed house in multiple occupation (HMO).
Student Castle in Osney Lane is purpose-built student accommodation which opened in September 2020 and includes 242 rooms in 41 cluster flats.
Our 'additionalâ HMO licensing scheme requires landlords and managers of all shared rented houses and flats to have a licence.
We inspected Student Castle on 2 September 2021 and advised the management company that the cluster flats required an HMO licence.
People living in unlicensed accommodation can apply to a First Tier Tribunal for a rent repayment order. This allows tenants to claim back up to a yearâs rent from landlords if the house they live in is unlicensed.
A total of 44 tenants subsequently made a group claim to the tribunal and their case was heard in Cambridge in July.
On 11 August, the tribunal decided that each claimant should receive a 35% refund of rent paid while Student Castle was unlicensed.
The total amount of rent to be repaid to the 44 claimants is ÂŁ84,877.
Since the adoption of our citywide 'selective licensing' scheme on 1 September, all private rented homes in Oxford now need a licence - not just shared housing.
Oxford needs decent homes and the additional licensing schemes help to ensure this.Â
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