Students could be forced out of homes, BPF warns

If new housing regulations are brought in by the Government then students may soon be unable to find suitable rented accommodation, the British Property Federation (BPF) has warned.

Ministers could bring in plans that would mean communities could ban students from living in houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), proposals that the BPF is opposed to.

Director of Residential Policy at the BPF, Ian Fletcher, remarked that the public sector provides little support for student accommodation.

He said that the private sector gives 'kids who might otherwise not have got the opportunity to go to university the chance to, through affordable rented housing.'

Mr Fletcher added that landlords have helped the government to increase higher-education numbers.

According to the BPF, there is an undersupply of HMOs in some areas, as many young professionals are looking to live in this type of accommodation.

Recently, Blackpool landlord Richard Powell was banned from ever holding a HMO licence again after he allowed his tenants to stay in a flat despite the fact that it contained defective electrical equipment, according to the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.