Planning restrictions are stopping us from selling our house!

anselld

elvenmunky wrote: »

there has been zero interest unless there is planning permission. But if this licence is not transferable then why do they ask?

As said previously the planning permission for change of use and the license are entirely seperate issues.

Planning permission stays with the property so it is 100% transferable. This is what you need. Application is free.

License relates to an individual managing an HMO. It is not transferable and it costs money. However, that is not what they are looking for since any buyer would need to apply in their own name and it will be granted provided planning is approved, the manager is a fit and proper person and the property meets the required standards. (none of which will be your concern if you sell).

Have you researched the chances of getting C4 use? That is you best course of action if there is any chance.

moneyistooshorttomention

I would take out the words "located in an area popular with investors" as that very easily translates into "This IS an investor area - home-owners don't bother".

I took a bit of a gamble and left in the words my own EA had put in my house description to the effect of being suitable for either investors or home-owners, as I thought that would then attract both categories of buyers and I would get more viewers overall (which, in turn, would lead to the home-owner I intended to have buying the place feeling they had to compete with more buyers than they otherwise would for the place). The eventual bidding war on my house was between an investor and a home-owner and the home-owner won.

Fast forward a year or so and the use of a different EA and my next door neighbours house got marketed purely for investors only (mind you....my house was 1980s style and there's was 1960s style). Hence mine was at least modern era...if not up-to-date.

buglawton

I would follow anselld's advice and apply for PP then immediately appeal once the expected rejection happens. There might even be a higher appeal available where national govt overrules in your favour.

anselld

buglawton wrote: »

I would follow anselld's advice and apply for PP then immediately appeal once the expected rejection happens. There might even be a higher appeal available where national govt overrules in your favour.

Agree. Take it all the way, nothing to loose except your time.

In particular, grounds for appeal would be for example ...
The Council are not allowed to apply a 'blanket' policy indiscriminately. They must have a policy which is shown to target specific areas where there is a (perceived) problem.
The policy must have been formally consulted and adopted.
If all else fails I would try an appeal on the grounds "the horse has bolted", i.e. there are already so many HMOs that another one cannot possibly change the character of the neighbourhood significantly.

buglawton

I tend to agree with the 2nd reason.

thequant

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Add in the fact that Universities and the like don't wish to build a load of posh new student blocks of housing for their students and then find that said students are often still choosing to live in "student houses" - so its possible a bit of arm-twisting might be being done on the Council in order to get them to bring these sort of restrictions in.

This is does indeed happen in Manchester, the Universities, developers and council are as thick as thieves.


One of most despicable acts I witnessed a decade ago was that on a certain date.


1) The council had gave permission for a development that had already been built to be used as student accommodation (it was fairly obvious this was the intention all along)


2) The university announced it was closing several student halls about 100 yards away, despite denying in the past it would.


3) The difference in cost between the accommodation was £40 a week for the old accommodation and the new accommodation was £90-£120 a week


4) the problem with the date they chose to make this simultaneous announcement, was that it came after the day for the UCAS deadline for changing your first University choice.


5) Which meant students who had been guaranteed first year accommodation at £40 a week and was possibly a factor in their choice of university were now stuck with a rental bill of £90-£120 a week and had no chance to change their University choice.

comeandgo

I can't believe you have a bedroom less than 6' wide, that would be a total no no in a house for me.

patchwork_cat

Is it still classed as an HMO if you have say 3 friends renting the house with one being named tenant and responsible for all the rent officially? My DS's house last year was let like this.

anselld

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Is it still classed as an HMO if you have say 3 friends renting the house with one being named tenant and responsible for all the rent officially? My DS's house last year was let like this.

If you mean 3 lodgers paying rent to one tenant/occupier then yes, that is still a HMO for the purposes of planning use class C4.

amiehall

thequant wrote: »

This is does indeed happen in Manchester, the Universities, developers and council are as thick as thieves.


One of most despicable acts I witnessed a decade ago was that on a certain date.


1) The council had gave permission for a development that had already been built to be used as student accommodation (it was fairly obvious this was the intention all along)


2) The university announced it was closing several student halls about 100 yards away, despite denying in the past it would.


3) The difference in cost between the accommodation was £40 a week for the old accommodation and the new accommodation was £90-£120 a week


4) the problem with the date they chose to make this simultaneous announcement, was that it came after the day for the UCAS deadline for changing your first University choice.


5) Which meant students who had been guaranteed first year accommodation at £40 a week and was possibly a factor in their choice of university were now stuck with a rental bill of £90-£120 a week and had no chance to change their University choice.

I'm sorry but this is a load of BS. If you spent time speaking to universities, you'd soon realise that top spec housing is the most oversubscribed.

I've also not encountered a university in the country (certainly not Manchester) that has enough uni halls for those who want them. Shutting down buildings is usually a last resort as a result of shocking conditions. There's no A or B involved for universities, they have enough demand for A and B to be full.

I don't know what year your talking about or whether it's uom or mmu but there have been a few years where Manchester freshers were put in hotels at the university's expense due to lack of halls availability.

I'm not sure what any of this has to do with the OP and their issues with the council but believe me, universities have no problems filling their accomodation without clumsy council intervention.