REAL ESTATE AGENTS TO BE USED AS UNREGISTERED SPIES

USING REAL ESTATE AGENTS AS SPIES- UNREGISTERED PRIVATE INQUIRY AGENTS

 I totally object to government proposals to require real estate agents to be used like KGB Spies to locate unregistered rooming houses who dare to provide housing for people. These Agents would in effect be UNLICENSED PRIVATE INQUIRY AGENTS

If an agent observes evidence consistent with occupation of the building by a number of people, rather than the individual, couple or family otherwise identified as lessees, this may provide grounds for a reasonable belief. Examples of this kind of evidence are set out below.

What constitutes evidence of rooming house activity?

There are certain physical signs that may indicate that the building is being used as a rooming house. These may include:

• a large number of residents using the building
• the interior of the building has been changed in a manner consistent with multiple occupation and not envisaged by the lease (e.g. informal, ad hoc building works such as plywood dividing a room into two)
• locks or numbers on bedroom doors
• evidence of a high level of usage of facilities such as kitchens and toilets supported by high water, electricity and gas bills for the building
• a high level of usage of facilities that seem to be inconsistent with the usage envisaged by the lease
• high levels of rubbish and recyclables
• multiple vehicles parked on or off the street
• lots of mail addressed to different people
• multiple individual toiletries stored in bedrooms rather than bathroom
• lessee not living on site
• no communal area
• cooking appliances and fridges in bedrooms
• televisions, kettles, games consoles etc. in bedrooms but not in communal areas
• advertisements of rooms to let
• notices on display (e.g. of where to pay rent, to keep areas clean, etc.)
• caravans or sheds converted into bedrooms
• many mattresses on the premises.