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Rooms are usually sublet accommodation without written tenancy
agreements. This leaves occupants in a precarious form of housing. They
are often uncertain of their tenancy rights and reluctant to make
claims for fear of being evicted. |
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Shared room rentals typically occur “off the books”, paid for in cash
without written receipts. Thus, rental income for landlords and
subletting tenants does not appear as income for taxation purposes. |
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The allure of higher rental income per property increases chances of
overcrowding as more tenants are squeezed into bedrooms and partitioned
living spaces. |
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The higher rental returns are also likely to remove housing stock from
the market for other household types, as dwellings previously available
for long-term tenancies are converted to shared room accommodation. |
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Unlike share houses in the UK and our boarding/rooming houses, private
landlords are unable to obtain permits from city authorities to convert
properties into shared accommodation. This limits the transparency of
“responsible” landlords. |
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Overcrowded properties can lead to structural risks when illegal
bedrooms are added and to infrastructure pressures such as low water
and gas supply |
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Noise and safety-related conflicts are increasingly reported in
dwellings (mainly apartments) inhabited by both family (non-shared) and
shared households |
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Monitoring mechanisms are ineffective. Current inspection laws require
that the landlord is notified prior to inspection. This favours
landlords/head-tenants who are able to alter the number of tenants
before an inspection.
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