New buy-to-let landlord laws 'totally impractical'

Posted: 29 Mar 2010 10:05:16 GMT

New planning permission laws that are set to come into place next month have been described by one expert as "totally impractical".

Alan Ward, chairman of the Residential Landlords Association, said the legislation will mean that buy-to-let landlords will have to apply for planning permission if they own properties where three or more of the residents are not related.

"This is just the worst fears," he stated. "It is social engineering because planning law has never been about who can live where - it is always about the use of the building."

Mr Ward's comments come as new research from PropertyEarth.net shows that three and four-bedroom houses are the most popular type of properties for buy-to-let investors.

The figures reveal that three-bedroom homes make up 57 per cent of all searches on the site.

When announcing the new law, John Healy, housing and planning minister, explained that the measure is hoped to combat the problem of substandard accommodation run by bad landlords.

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