Brighton & Hove City Council has asked letting agents in its area to inform landlords of additional planning powers enforced by the local authority, which could prohibit them from renting out certain properties.
The measure follows the case of a landlord of a property near Fiveways in Brighton, who is no longer allowed to rent out the home as a shared house.
New Planning Rules Enforced on Landlords in Brighton
Last year, the council served a planning enforcement notice on the property on the grounds that there were already many shared houses in the immediate area.
The landlord continued to rent out the property, despite not having the necessary planning permission, while appealing against the enforcement notice to the Government’s planning inspectorate.
In February, the landlord’s appeal was dismissed, meaning that it will be an offence for them to continue renting out the property as a shared house.
Until recently, the home was still being advertised to prospective tenants, but these advertisements have now been removed.
Back in April 2013, Brighton & Hove City Council introduced additional planning controls for any landlords in Brighton looking to set up small Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) within five electoral wards in the area.
The rules require landlords wishing to rent out HMOs to gain planning permission from the council, as well as a HMO license. The controls apply to any property being occupied by three to six unrelated individuals.
Planning permission is always required for more than six unrelated individuals occupying an HMO in the city.
The council has recently advised letting agents of their duty to provide tenants with material information about whether rental properties in Brighton have planning permission.
If you are a landlord in Brighton, you must be aware of these rules.