When your property is an investment you don’t want to waste money on red tape.

If you’re a landlord with houses to rent and you offer them to large groups of people, or you rent them as student homes to several individual tenants, you have certain responsibilities that you must meet and maintain. The first thing you must do is to check if you need a licence from your local authority; if any of the houses you rent are considered to be a ‘house in multiple occupation’, or HMO, this license is a legal obligation which you must comply with. For your property to fall into the HMO category it must be occupied by 5 or more sharers who are unrelated, and the house should also offer accommodation over 3 or more storeys. These rules may be subject to change depending on your particular authority, so always double check.

Ensuring your rental property meets the required standards

By licensing your rented student homes as HMOs, you’ll be required to ensure certain standards are met. Health and safety is an important aspect of any rental agreement and as an HMO landlord, this is perhaps even more essential.

You must ensure that fire extinguishers or other fire fighting equipment is available and that these, along with all fire alarms, are kept in good working order. You’re also responsible for structural safety and for the provision of water, drainage, electricity and gas (if applicable). Of course, if you have experience of renting property in any circumstances, you should already be aware of gas safety certificates; if you have gas appliances available for use in the property, such as boilers, fires or cookers, you MUST get them checked by a registered Gas Safe engineer and get a valid certificate awarded – and you’ll also need to have your electrics checked every 5 years too.

Providing clear terms to your tenants

Tenants in student homes are also entitled to a clear and fair tenancy agreement or contract – you should always state whether charges for utilities are included in the rental price or if they should be paid by the tenants separately. You also need to explain what happens in regards to repairs and advise of the period of notification you will give before you visit the property for any reason – this must be at least 24 hours. Don’t forget pets too – if they’re not allowed, make sure you include the rule in the tenancy agreement, or you may not have a leg to stand on if they move in with a huge and snarly dog that causes damage!

Don’t forget that it’s now a legal requirement in the UK to put your tenants’ deposits in a Tenancy Deposit Scheme and provide them with the relevant details of that scheme within 14 days of them handing over the cash. Don’t try to get away with it either, or you could face a payment fine of 3x the original deposit amount, as well as losing certain rights, such as the right to serve notice to quit if you want to evict your tenants. Other things you must do with HMOs and student accommodation include providing your tenants with your contact details and a rent book – and it’s worth writing a detailed inventory before your tenants move in and get them to check and sign it as a bit of added security for all parties.

Renting property to students or multiple tenants can be a lucrative way of generating some additional income, but if you want to save yourself potential headaches, you need to make sure that both you and your tenants are protected. Adhere to these rules and check with your local council to ensure you’ve got everything in place that you’re required to, then you can relax knowing that you’ve got everything covered.

Guest post by Louise Nelhams, from A-Team Properties; a Leeds based letting agent that specialises in renting property to students.

The old baptist church is very close to the university, making it prime student turf.

A former baptist church in Huddersfield had been transformed into student houses by a consortium of local businessmen.

The project to renovate the building on Cross Lane was the first undertaken by newly formed company Premier Student Lettings. The church had been empty for two years before it was purchased by the company’s directors John Joyce, Kieran Bradbury and Richard Shaw.

The accommodation will be spread over four storeys with 44 student beds in cluster flats.

“While our team had previous experience in property development individually, this was by far the largest challenge we’d taken on, which is why we joined together to form Premier Student Lettings,” said John Joyce.

“We decided to keep the exterior unchanged as it’s a very attractive building, but its size led us to create bigger individual rooms and common spaces than most other student accommodation we’d seen in the town, giving the finished property a great spacious feeling.”

The area of St John’s in Worcester is popular with students and so there are more HMOs than in other areas of the city.

Landlords in Worcester are holding their breath ahead of a decision today on the introduction of Article 4 in their city.

The National Landlords’ Association has expressed its concern that the City Council would be ‘pushing people out of the city’ if the motion is approved. The NLA has spent several weeks trying to persuade councillors to do a u-turn.

Don Robbie, NLA’s Worcester spokesman, said: “Many residents of Worcester – students, young professionals and others seeking affordable housing – rely on the shared housing provided by the private-rented sector.

“By limiting supply, many people will be pushed out of the city.

“The council must consider the practical implications of limiting shared housing, particularly with a backdrop of welfare reform.

“Now is not the time to restrict affordable shared housing.”

The Council has previously said that the Article 4 Directive is necessary to stop ‘student ghettos’ in the city. Support for the motion also comes from residents in areas popular with students such as St John’s where some HMOs have up to 8 residents, causing problems with parking and litter.

The council note that the policy is not anti-student, and aims to tackle HMOs in general, not just those for student use. It is estimated that there are around 750 independently owned student houses in Worcester, but the numbers are growing.

Try buddying up in a shared house, its fun, but can be hard work too.

People live in shared houses for a variety of different reasons; for company, for affordability, to take a step away from the family and towards independence and, most often, during their time as university students.

For the first year at university, many people will ease themselves into their new life by staying in university Halls. This purpose-built accommodation block will usually provide a private room and bathroom, with communal kitchen and living spaces where students can socialise and get to know each other. After your first year, you will probably be itching to get out and choose your own place to live with your new friends, and will start looking for shared houses in the area you’ve found to have the facilities and social options that are most suited to your tastes and needs. This will give you the chance to grow even more as an independent young adult, but you will need to approach the experience with an open mind, as it may not be everything you expect!

Facing responsibilities

Firstly, while it may seem that living with your mates is the perfect way to party your way through your next year at university, sharing student accommodation will also mean that you have responsibilities – both to yourself and others. While it’s certainly likely that you’ll party a fair bit, you also need to keep a handle on the grown-up side of things. Before you go rushing into decisions, it’s a wise idea to talk to your potential house mates about expectations and priorities – you need to make sure that you all have a similar outlook to what you want from the situation and what kind of place you want to live in. Consider things such as communal space, number of sharers and whether a garden is important before you settle on which shared house to rent.

Once tenancy contracts have been signed and you’ve moved in, you need to make sure you’re all on the same page when it comes to cleaning and looking after the place. Set up a rota or share jobs out by a democratic process of taking the chores that you each least mind doing – then promise to stick to it! Nothing turns a fun atmosphere sour quicker than built up resentment or feelings of people taking advantage, so keep talking, tackle issues as soon as they arise and try to keep a sense of humour.

Respecting your house mates

One vital thing that all house sharers need to respect is people’s privacy. Just because you all pay rent for the same house, it doesn’t mean you have an automatic right to enter someone else’s room. You all pay for the privilege of having your own private room and use of shared spaces. Most student accommodation will have locks on bedroom doors, but regardless of whether they get used or not, never enter someone else’s room without knocking, or without their knowledge. Unless someone has explicitly said to you that you can, this is an invasion of someone’s personal space and could even lead to accusations if something were to go missing.

Other things to bear in mind if you want to survive your shared house experience include not letting your own guests stay too often, not stealing other people’s food and being considerate with noise levels (especially if you know one of your house mates has an early start or exam the next morning) – small gestures like offering everyone a cup of tea if you’re making one can also go a long way. It’s also important not to leave a mess in the toilet (a grim subject but worth bearing in mind), not to make people feel uncomfortable with naked streaks to the bathroom and always make sure you have enough money to pay your way with the bills.

Sharing student accommodation can be great fun, and even help you to forge friendships that will last the rest of your life – just make sure that you all know the rules of your shared house and keep things fair, and it should be another great aspect of your university days.

Guest post by Louise Nelhams, from A-Team Properties – a student letting specialist in Leeds.

The empty office building will become student cluster flats.

Planning permission has been granted on a 151 bed student development in the centre of Nottingham.

Minerva House on the corner of Spaniel Row and Hounds Gate was sold for £2m to developer Fortis. The 55,000 sq ft office building was always expected to attract a student development because of its location, with direct bus and tram links to University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University campuses.

The building was acquired with help from property advisers Jones Lang LaSalle and associate director Matthew Robertson explained the benefits of the build:

“It’s clear there is still appetite for further student accommodation in Nottingham. This latest planning consent from the council demonstrates the support for converting obsolete office stock into alternative residential uses, providing an opportunity to stimulate growth and create sustainable new environments which are more easily managed and policed.

The once certain student property market has been shaken by the Article 4 Direction.

Traditionally investing in student property was seen as a real money spinner. Investors could stand to make a higher return on a family home converted into a student house. But the introduction of Article 4 Directives have made the market more cautious.

An Article 4 Direction means that a landlord must apply for planning permission to convert a home into an HMO. These have come into force across student heavy areas in many university cities in the UK. The main reason for their introduction was the notion that family homes and a sense of community were under threat as large areas became ‘student ghettos’.

Critics worry that the smaller landlord will be pushed out. Certainly those new to the student rental market will have to do their research before they buy their first property. There are also fears that the move will force a shortage of student housing making way for purpose built student blocks or superhalls.

Nottingham is one such city to adopt the Article 4 Direction. The move means that HMOs in traditional student strongholds will require planning permission, however the council have introduced a new planning rule which means that commercial property in the city centre can be converted to student flats. The new apartments will no doubt be attractive to some students, while others will always prefer the traditional student home and its proximity to other students.

A new ruling will mean landlords need to count the number of floors in the flat, not the building the flat is in.

A recent landmark ruling by High Court judges will affect the way landlords count floors in their properties. Until now HMOs or part of an HMO would require mandatory licensing if the property is three or more floors and home to five or more tenants making two or more households.

In the case, of London Borough of Islington Council v The Unite Group Plc [2013] the court was asked to consider the method used for floor counting. The building involved in the case was a three storey block of flats with a further floor of commercial property underneath.

Islington Council said that the building required HMO licenses because it was 4 storeys tall. The court ruled that the HMO should comply with the definition found in the law, and not the building the HMO is in.

The decision is important in multi use buildings to define an HMO, and where a maisonette takes up the top two floors. HMO owners should count the number of floors in the flat, not the building itself.

Lawyer David Smith at Nearly Legal who reported the ruling, said: “The case should make it simpler to calculate whether an HMO falls into the mandatory licensing category and should release many landlords from the requirement to license self-contained single storey flats that sit in a block.

“However, since failure to have a licence when required has such severe consequences including prosecution, fine and rent repayment orders, if in doubt do seek guidance from the local authority armed with a print out of the high court ruling to wave at them if necessary.”

The decision reverses R v Roderick John Williams from 2008. Williams was fined for renting out an unlicensed HMO. The flat was above a basement flat and had two floors, at the time the court decided that as the flat was in a three storey building then Williams should have had an HMO license.

In its literature Cambridge warns its students that they can expect to pay around £7,850 in annual living costs, while noting that ‘students should not work during term time.’ Cambridge is 79% more expensive to live in compared to Britain’s cheapest university city; Liverpool. A weekly student rent in Liverpool is just £54.25 compared with £97.25 a week in Cambridge.

Demand for places at Russell Group universities was still high, but it seems that choosing your place carefully could save you thousands in accommodation costs every year. Durham was deemed to be the best ‘value for money’ university. The institution is ranked fifth in academic tables, but rent costs just £62 a week (on average).

The study was conducted by estate agents Haart, who said that ‘canny parents’ were now taking advantage of the strong rental markets in university cities and buying investment property to save on costly rent for their offspring and then maintain a viable retirement fund after graduation.

Follow this handy guide to find your dream digs.

Finding the right university accommodation is perhaps the biggest step you’ll take in organising your new life. Although some students stay at home for university, many decide to move away and start out on their new, independent journey somewhere fresh. Unless you’re a mature student, looking at student houses and accommodation may well be your first experience of making big decisions and dealing with contracts and professional agencies.

Here are 5 top tips to help you find the right university accommodation:

1 - Student halls or private student accommodation?
If it’s your first year, you might want to stay in university halls so that you’re with lots of other new students who are in the same position. If you’re feeling brave, you already know other students attending the same university, or it’s your second or third year, you might like the idea of renting a room in one of the many student houses in the local area. You could even rent a room in a house where the landlord or landlady is also resident if you want a more ‘homely’ atmosphere.

2 - Choose your fellow tenants wisely

While you might have made lots of friends at university, living together can make things strained if you have very different ideas about what’s ok, what the rules are or how responsibilities are shared. Don’t be afraid to speak frankly about your ideas and expectations to ensure you choose the right people to share with.

3 - Choose the right area for your student accommodation

This doesn’t just mean somewhere that’s easily commutable to your university or college. Your social life is a big part of your time as a student too, so you need to make sure that any student house you consider is close to the bars, clubs, sports or activities you enjoy too. Even if you live with people you really like, sometimes you’ll want to escape and do something on your own or outside of your digs.

4 - Find a reputable letting agent and landlord

This is possibly the most important thing of all. Do your research; ask around (word of mouth is often the best way to find recommendations), search online for forums or information that might help and ask at your university too – most will have a housing office or student support services, and perhaps even a notice board that gives information for student accommodation. Also check that your landlord is UNIPOL registered before you sign anything.

5 - Know your rights

It pays to know a little about tenancies, landlord responsibilities and your obligations as a tenant. Check your tenancy agreement before you sign and make sure that your student house comes with all the proper safety certificates and that your deposit is protected.
Your years at university should be fun, as well as the first step towards your adult life. By making sure you only live in student houses that are run by decent landlords and trustworthy letting agents, and by choosing your student accommodation in the right area, you can be sure that you’re starting out your new university year on the right foot!

Guest post by Louise Nelhams, from Leeds student letting specialists, A-Team Properties.

The rock venue could be set to shut to make room for student accommodation.

Cardiff’s only dedicated rock bar and nightclub has been bought by developers who say they plan to shut it if plans for a student development are approved.

The bar in the basement of Northgate House on Kingsway is now now as Bogiez, having previously been cardiff Barfly. According to the plans submitted by TVE Ltd the club space will be used as ‘ancillary space for the student accommodation.’

The plans show that the company bought the club to overcome noise pollution from the venue and add that the “rather unsightly nightclub entrance” will be replaced with a new lobby.

However the manager of Bogiez, Tom Martin said that he was unaware of any plans to shut the bar, and the lease from Cardiff Brewery SA Brains was still valid. According to its website, Bogiez has acts booked to play as late as September.

The brewery declined to comment on the future of the bar but did issue a statement:

“S A Brain and Company Limited holds a long leasehold interest in the basement at Northgate House which has been sublet to Bogiez via Barfly Holdings (Cardiff) Limited.

“We are considering various scenarios in respect of this site at present but cannot be more specific at this time.”