HMO to charge NHS workers just £10 a week in rent

A council is being asked to prioritise consent to use a property as an HMO during the pandemic, with its four potential tenants being NHS frontline workers paying just £10 a week each in rent. 

A property in Hampshire has been purchased by landlord Jasvinder Sohal, who has renovated it - and now she’s seeking the local council’s co-operation to expedite the application for it to become an HMO.

The Andover Gazette reports that Sohal’s application reads: "I bought 68 Fox Lane when it was uninhabitable with a view to renovate and let it out to a family. I have undertaken extensive renovations and it will be ready, I hope in the next two to three weeks.

"Due to the proximity of the property to Winchester Hospital, I would now like to help NHS key workers to find a place to live whilst they deal with the current pandemic we are facing for a nominal rent only £10 a week for the next six months.

"I have already had a nurse reach out to me asking for help with finding somewhere to live near the hospital as she wishes to work there to support over the next few months. Currently, she can only live in an expensive hotel in Basingstoke area which is not at all helpful to her."

She adds in her letter to the council: "By helping four NHS key workers to find somewhere to stay over these crucial weeks and months, I hope I will be doing my bit to help. If there is the possibility of prioritising this application to dealt with more quickly, that would be most appreciated. We all know that the next few weeks are the most critical in supporting the NHS."

You can see the local story here.