NLA speaks out on Article 4 Directions

The National Landlords Association is beefing up its campaign against Article 4 Directions after a spat between two councils about future provision of rented accommodation.

Article 4 Directions - a complicated additional power given to councils in 2010 to limit the number of HMOs in a specified area - have now been used by some authorities to move tenants in receipt of housing benefit to other areas of the country.

The latest attempt to do this has been done by Oxford City Council, which the NLA claims has been encouraging people in urgent housing need' to seek accommodation in Birmingham. Now Birmingham City Council says this tactic is not a long-term solution to the wider issue of having enough affordable rented accommodation.

The NLA says the introduction of Article 4 Directions in Oxford has limited the supply of shared housing in the area and has consequently forced up rents. The association says the problem is down in part to the use of these orders to socially engineer' communities.

Councils need to review their policies and engage with landlords. This would lead to greater investment in shared housing and mean more can be done to house those most in need, rather than simply moving the issue to other parts of the UK says NLA chief executive Richard Lambert.