The NLA (National Landlords Association) has launched a new campaign aimed at drumming up opposition to the proposed Article 4 designation, a measure that could see a huge drop in the amount of shared housing available in Portsmouth.
Save Housing in Portsmouth is an online campaign using the resources of Twitter and Facebook to get as many people as possible affected by the new plans, to write to Councillor Mike Hancock CBE to highlight the impact the proposal is going to have on residents living in the area. Cllr Hancock is the man who will be responsible for giving approval to the Article 4 designation at a meeting on Monday of next week.
It is the belief of Portsmouth City Council that shared housing, a very popular choice with young professionals, students and those on low incomes, is having a negative effect on the local community. The National Landlords Association argues that the plan will have a negative effect on Portsmouth and will ultimately lead to a decline in the supply of good quality affordable housing. Property owners with landlord insurance fear that if the proposal goes through, it will make it almost impossible for them to provide more homes for students, sharers and people who are on low incomes.
Chairman, David Salusbury, said “Unfortunately Portsmouth, like other cities across the country, has a lack of good quality affordable housing. The proposed Article 4 designation will ensure it has even less.
“Aside from the obvious impact this will have on local landlords, these plans will be devastating for the many people who have little option other than to rely on shared housing. Be they young professionals unable to get on the property ladder, students unable to secure accommodation on the University campus or vulnerable and low income people on the council’s housing waiting list, all will struggle to find a home.”