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Labour MP, Steve McCabe, is putting a Bill to the House of Commons once the summer recess is over. He is hoping to use the Bill to gain publicity on the subject of ugly property extensions specifically designed to house large numbers of students.
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Mr McCabe says the trend is becoming a real problem in his constituency and many owner occupiers are being adversely affected by heavily extended neighbouring properties.
Relaxed Planning Laws
In 2013, the government relaxed planning laws to make it easier to execute small scale extensions. Mr McCabe admits the rules were changed for the right reasons, but he claims unscrupulous landlords are exploiting the changes to profit from cutting corners and building off-plan. He says Birmingham District Council has been forced to cut back on enforcement as it cannot afford to investigate complaints, so many rogue landlords are getting away with building unsightly extensions in order to make a profit.
Too Many ‘To Let’ Signs
Mr McCabe is also complaining about the prevalence of ‘To Let signs in his constituency, which he says are being used as ‘free’ publicity for certain letting agents.
“It’s clear that in my constituency the letting agent board regulations aren’t being adhered to and the landlords that own student properties appear to be keeping these boards up for the purposes of unlimited free advertising. Not only does this ruin the appearance of many streets in Selly Oak, the practice is not being effectively regulated, which means that the landlords in question just get away with it scot-free.”
