ALL student homes and shared houses in Oxford could soon require licences under new powers to curb rogue landlords and antisocial behaviour.

The extended powers that have been handed to Oxford City Council would affect more than 4,000 rented properties across the city.

At present houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) must be licensed by the city council if they contain five or more unrelated tenants and have three or more storeys.

This applies to about 600 properties and costs landlords £1,200 for a five-year licence.

The extended scheme, being drawn up by council officers, would cover any property with three or more unrelated tenants, which equates to more than 4,000 homes in the city.

Ian Wright, the city council’s heath development services manager, said the powers would help tackle rogue landlords, antisocial tenants and improve housing safety and conditions.

According to council figures, HMOs form an unusually high percentage of houses in the city, with one in five of the population living in an HMO.

The council’s house condition survey in 2005 reported that HMOs provided the poorest homes in the city, and that 70 per cent were unsafe.

Mr Wright added: “HMOs make up the worst part of housing in the city. It is the very bottom of the private sector housing, so it’s a major issue for us.”

He estimated the council received 6,000 complaints a year connected to HMOs, either from tenants unhappy with living conditions or from neighbours angered by problems such as noise or rubbish.

Under the proposed scheme, HMO landlords would have to apply for a licence and pass a ‘fit and proper person’ test.

Mr Wright added: “We would inspect the property and then issue a licence with mandatory conditions and any additional conditions required to bring the property up to the required standard.”

He said additional conditions could help tackle issues such as behaviour at the property and the maintenance of the gardens and rubbish bins.

Elizabeth Mills, chairman of the Divinity Road Residents’ Association, welcomed the move, but feared the council would not have the staff to enforce it.

“It is such an immense job and there’s simply not the resources,” she said.

Recent changes to planning rules mean landlords now have to apply for planning permission if they want to turn a family home into a HMO, as part of an attempt by the Government to prevent the development of ‘student ghettoes’ in cities.

Landlords owning existing HMOs are not required to obtain planning permission for their properties.

Bob Urwin, of Martin and Co letting agents, said he thought the city council’s decision to limit the number of HMOs in East Oxford would have a powerful effect on the market.

He said: “It will push property prices down because it will be impossible to turn a family home into a multiple let, thus removing a whole group of potential purchasers.”

Mrs Mills said: “This will stop the rot but it will not redress the balance.”

To have your say visit oxford.gov.uk/ consultation before June 21