Want to buy a 77-bedroom property in Fallowfield for the bargain price of £3,800,000? Well here’s your chance… that is if you can find 76 friends to move in with.
The block of 20 three-to-six bedroom student properties are being sold in one lot on house hunting website Zoopla.
The listing boasts ‘84 letting rooms’, but in reality when you do the maths the number comes to 77.
Fallowfield Councillor David Royle spoke to MM about the issues around landlords trying to rent a limited number of properties to so many students and a general need for more regulations on student housing.
He said: “Multi Occupancy Homes destabilise the area because the people that live in those homes are transient such as students or people who just move in for a year.
“I’ve been to at least two HMOs this year where I wouldn’t put dog, never mind a human. The landlords basically, were pretty crappy.
“I know a utility room that was turned into a bedroom. We need to bring properties up to a high standard where the tenants or residents can live there.
“If you’re going to have a student house, the most you should have in my opinion is four for safety reasons.”
Zoopla also describes the property, which was listed last month, as being situated in the heart of South Manchester’s premier student letting area only a short distance from all of the city’s major universities.
South Manchester MP John Leech called for tighter regulations and a 24-hour hotline for neighbours to complain about booze-fuelled student bashes, in the House of Commons this week.
The Lib Dem MP for Withington said student communities needed to abide by the same set of rules. Police need the power to close down a party, whether it is a student party or not, he added.
Cllr Royle said the Labour party had been working with the student unions and the student body to encourage consideration of neighbours when having a house party.
He added: “If it’s students I can understand there away from their parents and they just want to have a good time.
“We stereotype students. Everyone thinks a young person’s bad, but they’re not they’re a small minority.
“We want you to enjoy yourselves but please respect your neighbours.”
Sellers of the 77-bedroom property, Flax and Co, say it has been owned for many years and continues to be maintained to a high standard.
The income for Academic Year 2014/2015, based on 11 months rental with half rent being collected for July/August is estimated to be £234,808.
A company spokesman said there had been a lot of interest in the property. The estate agent has a number of properties on the market but this is the only one listed at above £250,000.
Image courtesy of Google Maps, with thanks.
