60. Do you agree with the suggested option?

Support

Representation ID: 487

Received: 03/08/2010

Respondent: Carole Mulroney

supported

Support

Representation ID: 539

Received: 04/08/2010

Respondent: Cllr Burdett

DM16 Agree completely at present there is an unfair distribution of Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) these people need positive role models which they are not getting if they are all contained within the one area of Kursaal. Around 40% of the remaining un-subdivided houses in parts of Kursaal now seem to be HMOs with no regulation and they at face value appear to cause 90% of the problems in regard to Anti-Social behaviour, drug dealing and cultivation etc we have in the area it would surely be a step in the right direction, the other 10% seems to relate to other private lets, though we do of course have some great tenants who are central to our community. When you consider that our borders to York Road and Hastings Road seem to be at around 80% saturation in terms of HMO and poorly maintained/managed property owned by a few landlords, even if they are fronting them via others or are Housing Associations, it is a shame that they cannot seem to run these as well as the Rosemead Project, who actively engage with the community which they are part of.

Comment

Representation ID: 540

Received: 04/08/2010

Respondent: Cllr Burdett

It is tiresome that landlords as businesses are able to blight the lives of local residents without fear of any form of sanction. This is after all what these HMOs and Private Lets are, they are not Mr and Mrs Smiths pension plan, they are high profit businesses. If you take the recently converted property in Hastings Road, this has 8 let able units within, which will produce an income of £ 3200 at least per month. A very nice return on a property that sold for £170,000 recently. In fact because of this the Landlord is now sitting on an asset which is worth in excess of £450,000, yet contributes nothing to the overall well being and community of this area.

Support

Representation ID: 664

Received: 09/08/2010

Respondent: Adult & Community Services Southend-on-Sea Borough Council

Agree with suggested option to monitor and control HMO development in the borough.

Investigate potential of introducing management scheme before HMO occupation and wider HMO registration dependent on legislation and local resource availability.