Bedsits.....should neighbours be informed?

shelly

Not sure if this is the right place to post my query but nowhere else seemed suitable.


If someone bought a normal 3 bed semi and wanted to convert it into bedsits, would any of the neighbours to the property have to be informed about it? Or could the buyer just go ahead and convert it without anyone else being informed or have a chance to dispute it? I have searched the net but can't find anything specific and hoped that someone could help me.


Thanks.

BobProperty

I'd have thought that planning permission and building regulations may come into it, but what is the difference between a shared house and bedsits at the level of a 3 bed semi?

lynzpower

BobProperty wrote:

I'd have thought that planning permission and building regulations may come into it, but what is the difference between a shared house and bedsits at the level of a 3 bed semi?

canI be the first person to mention HMO regualtions?

goldbyron

Argh glad I am not the neighbour - would hate bedsits next door.

In Haringey there is an area called the 'ladders' and there are many large houses that have been converted into 6 bedroom bedsits for years. The council has now stopped this as it was really bringing down the area (and this is Haringey!). The houses are beautiful and bedsits can cause many social problems and affect communities.

Having said that it is personal choice if regulations allow it. I am just a bit anti converting houses (I am due to live in a conversion next week!).

BobProperty

Al_Mac wrote:

You do need planning, neighbours should be informed and there should have been a pink form on display.

Not sure what you are saying BP, I'd rather have a family next door, rather than a couple of bedsits

I'm not sure what you are getting at. What is the difference between a shared 3 bedroom house and a bedsit, is what I was getting at. As you are more likely in some areas to get significantly more money by renting to a group of people sharing than to a family, then, guess what, that's what happens.

shelly

Phew.....I'm glad you seem to think the same as I do. I didn't want to post my views immediately for fear of being shot down for them. I'll give you a bit more info.

The 3 bed semi in question is the house thats joined to us. It was sold in July and bought by a Housing Corporation. The guys who are doing the work on it have told another neighbour that its going to be converted into 3 bedsits. (I have no idea what the difference is between 3 bedsits and 3 people sharing, but whatever, our views are still the same)
Quite frankly hubby and I want none of it, talking to neighbours, no-one wants it. I'd much rather it be lived in by a family than 3 or more seperate people.......if you get my meaning.....

We have researched the Housing Corporation and apparently they are involved in rehoming people who won't be housed by the local council for one reason or another. Call me a snob but that sounds like trouble to me.

I have looked on our local council website and no planning permission has been submitted for the property.
I am hoping that the workman was just on a wind up but after researching the HC it seems he was telling the truth.

Is there anything I can do to find out the truth? And if its true can we object to it seeing as we have had no letters or anything about it?


Thanks

marybishop

Hubby who is a Building Surveyor says you should phone the planning department at your local council and ask them to clarify the situation. Change of use from a single family dwelling to a house of multiple occupation requires PP and internal alterations will almost certainly require Building Regs approval which comes under the Building Control Dept at the council. Seems the key point is whether three people are sharing the facilities or will have their own. Worth a phone call.

BobProperty

But is it an HMO from a planning perspective? I think it might not be. So it's a HMO as far as HMO and Building Regulations is concerned? So what's that got to do with the OP? They have no rights over next door's Building Regulation compliance. (well next to no rights, I suspect you would have to bring an action against the council for some sort of failure of duty which would probably only need £xk up front in legal fees).
TJ might be able to help.

spidey

goldbyron wrote:

Argh glad I am not the neighbour - would hate bedsits next door.

In Haringey there is an area called the 'ladders' and there are many large houses that have been converted into 6 bedroom bedsits for years. The council has now stopped this as it was really bringing down the area (and this is Haringey!). The houses are beautiful and bedsits can cause many social problems and affect communities.

Having said that it is personal choice if regulations allow it. I am just a bit anti converting houses (I am due to live in a conversion next week!).

I think this is tad judgemental, but that's just my opinion. I don't live in a bedsit but I have in the past. Many single people cannot afford any other kind of accommodation, particuarly in London. If you can't afford a flat, and you don't qualify for social housing, what are you to do but live in a bedsit or shared house?

I *know* you could move out of London, but like in the situation I was in, I'm a Londoner, I have roots here, I've always lived and worked in London, I don't see why I should move away because *some people* don't like the kind of accommodation I live(d) in.

And yes I do know the Ladder, I live in Wood Green up the road. I've lived all over North London, including around Holloway/Archway which is a very similar area to the Ladder, I don't think you can blame an areas social problems on the amount of bedsits in the area.

tobedifferent

If the HO are converting to flats they should have already got planning permission.

Don't be too much not in my back yard though. Speak to the association and find out what is going on. They are generally quite good and have no wish to upset the neighbours. Also its becoming more common to have a tenant in a shared property who lives rent free and is there to keep an eye on the place and stop any trouble.

I was a housing officer and can safely say a lot of complaints are based on what people think may happen rather than what actually happened. We got serious complaints about 1 property which was converted again and again. The poor people in the place were the demons of the locality according to the complaints, who were basically demanding they were all chucked out and not supported at all.

As there was no proof myself and another collegue snuck into a vacant flat and stayed there quietly all weekend. The place was silent, no problems at all, yet on the Monday morning my voicemail was filled with neighbour complaints about parties, obvious drug dealing etc. etc that they claimed had happened and woken up the whole street. It was false accusations yet the upstanding residents were quite happy to see lies put abused women and thier children out on the street to ensure the neighbourhood didn't go down.

anotherbigspender

shelly wrote:

Not sure if this is the right place to post my query but nowhere else seemed suitable.


If someone bought a normal 3 bed semi and wanted to convert it into bedsits, would any of the neighbours to the property have to be informed about it? Or could the buyer just go ahead and convert it without anyone else being informed or have a chance to dispute it? I have searched the net but can't find anything specific and hoped that someone could help me.


Thanks.

Long time lurker first time poster, felt I needed to post to claify the planning situation which will sort of answer your question I hope.

The key to whether planning permission will be required or not (and what others have hinted at) is whether the house will be converted so that people live independantly from one another (i.e bedsits) or whether they live 'together' sharing facilities like a kitchen, communal lounge, and bathroom. You say bedsits are proposed but do you mean bedsits as per my definition?

If its the latter then upto 6 people can live 'together' (albeit with lockable bedrooms) without the need for PP. If its the former and the 'bedsits' have cooking and bathroom facilities and for all intent and purposes form seperate dwellings then PP will be required, and you would have the chance to comment on the proposals (although your objections would not neccessarily mean they would be refused PP).

Building regs is a whole different ball game, and not my bag so I can't offer advice, but my understanding is that you wouldn't be consulted.

Effectively, the only other way you'd have a say (other than appealing to your neighbours' sense of 'community' :rotfl: ) is if works to the Party Wall were required (although I'm not which side of the semi you are on)

HTH ... apologies for the long post.