Cardiff Council has agreed to impose stricter licensing conditions on properties in Cathays.
The new requirements will come into force in July, and will require houses for multiple occupants (HMOs) to meet basic safety requirements before they can be let. All HMOs in Cathays will require a licence by 2015.
Landlords will also be banned from renting out such properties if they are not considered to be a ‘fit and proper person’. Having a serious criminal record or a bad housing record will prevent them from letting HMOs.
Thousands of students in Cathays living in privately-rented houses will be protected by the scheme, but it does not currently cover other student areas such as Roath.
The five-year licence will cost between £300 and £500 for each property, depending firstly on whether the landlord is already accredited under the existing Wales Landlord Accreditation scheme, and secondly on the amount of work needed to bring the property up to standard.
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Cathays, Simon Pickard, welcomed the scheme.
“This will have benefits for tenants but will also encourage landlords to look after their properties better and improve the street scene,” he said.
“There will be a publicly-available list of who is the landlord for each property, which will make them more accountable to the local community.”
He added that if students complained about their property or landlord to the council, the property was more likely to be targeted for licencing. Students can contact the council about their housing by emailing privatesectorhousing@cardiff.gov.uk.
Students’ Union Welfare, Campaigns, and Communications Officer, Ed Dolding, said he was “absolutely chuffed” with the result.
“This is a real victory borne of many months of fierce debate and public consultation.
“I’d like to thank everyone for their support throughout the campaign and consultation process, in particular those students who filled out the online questionnaire and joined the Facebook group.”
