Private landlords in Portsmouth have criticized the city council’s homelessness strategy, particularly its additional licensing for houses in multiple occupation (HMO).
The Portsmouth and District Private Landlords Association (PDPLA) stated that it was no longer backing the council. The criticism comes despite private evictions being the main cause of homelessness in the city, accounting for 33% of homeless applications last year.
In a written statement presented on behalf of Martin Silman, the chairman of PDPLA, he criticised the council’s strategic aim of preventing homelessness.
“PCC has reduced housing stock for the most in need by removing over 1,000 rooms from HMOs in the city by forcing many to reduce from five or six beds to four due to the onerous and inappropriate communal living space requirements that came with the updated mandatory licensing regime several years ago,” he said.
“PCC’s additional licensing has driven hundreds more HMOs out of the local market, where are you going to house all these single people knowing that you’ve massively increased the problem you seek to solve?
Sorry but you have lost the support of local landlords, it really is time that PCC stops concentrating on saying the right words and ticking boxes and does something that improves the situation.”
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