Local Councillor Will Sandry has been successful in getting the Council to move forward the issue of houses of multiple occupation in Oldfield. Will Sandry said, “members of the community tell me that some letting agents and private landlords actively discriminate against young couples and families wanting to rent property.

Letting agents and private landlords favour letting a property to a group of unrelated people because the rental income from a home in multiple occupation can be twice as much as when the property is let to an individual or couple.”

HMO’s are part of modern living. They are needed throughout the UK to meet housing needs, but in some areas where there are too many of them there is a big community imbalance created.
Local young couples and families are priced out or excluded from the area. For us in Bath this has meant they have to move further afield to areas such as Peasdown, Radstock and Frome.

This then puts a huge strain on our transport network and helps create the gridlock we all know too well as our local people have to commute in to the City to work.