I read another interesting article yesterday about the so-called problems that HMO’s cause through over-flowing bins, waste tipped in alleys and fly-tipping in Oxford. Council plot bin progress details the councils plans for a new £40,000 waste “hit-squad” to tackle these issues.
There were about 30 comments added to the articles, some agreeing, some disagreeing but the main assumptions seemed to be:
- students have a lot of waste rubbish
- students don’t pay council tax but they get council services
- Oxford City provides fortnightly collections of rubbish
- the streets of the city are very dirty – never mind the student areas
- some businesses provide as much rubbish as students
When I read this, I was disapointed on two levels.
Firstly, I went to Oxford in the 90’s and it was and continues to be one of my favourite cities in the UK – I haven’t been back for a good 2 years and to hear of the state that it appears to be in is very disapointing – especially when it relies on tourism as much as students for the business community.
Secondly, the misunderstandings that surround the HMO market continue to abate with the differing classes of HMO’s being tarred under the same brush. I have HMO’s where we have 6-8 people living in them and with the exception of one council; we have more than enough bins to dispose of our rubbish correctly. Some councils charge extra for additional bins, some have additional recycling bins but all of them collect weekly.
I’ve heard the stories in the press about fortnightly collection and I have to say – for me, it doesn’t make sense. In all of our properties, we ensure that a full recycling schedule is posted and all tenants encouraged to take part – and generally they do this very well. However, to expect a family to have to wait two weeks for their rubbish collection is ludicrous.
So, I can understand why Oxford is in the pickle it finds itself in because if waste is only being picked up once a fortnight, then there is clearly a back-log with the added implications of risks to public health, the environment and surrounding neighbourhoods. The old adage used to go “waste not, want not” and I think it becomes even more relevant today with the heat on our carbon footprint, fossil fuel usage and increasing landfill costs.
To ensure your HMO doesn’t fall foul of any “waste collection” issues, here’s what you need to do:
- Ensure there are adequate bins (both waste and recycling) for your household
- Generally allow 1 bin per 3 occupants
- Look at providing two bins in the house – one for waste and one for recyclingÂ
- Ensure that you get the full waste collection schedule from the council and post this up in a prominent location
- Ensure that all tenants are aware of their duties and responsibilities towards the waste and recycling collections
- make sure all new tenants are aware of the process and how it works
- Follow up on any issues or complaints about lack of bin space and find out what the problems are
It should be noted that you as a landlord do have an obligation for ensuring waste is collected adequately from your properties. It is therefore in your interests that you ensure that you educate all of your tenants about the waste collection services and keep an eye on their progress.