Hi cheng,

One thing you may want to double check with the council before you think of purchasing is whether the property is licensed to operate as a boarding house / student accommodation. I have a number of properties in my portfolio which are boarding houses, and am quite aware with this license issue. If you are not licensed to operate as a class 1B (student accommodation) and are found to be non-compliant you will be slapped with a huge fine.

To make matters worse, nowadays council workers will door knock on a number of properties which they suspect are operating illegally. A couple of people I know have been found out this way and fined dearly.

If you need building surveyor contacts that may be able to assist in getting the license, feel free to contact me at [email protected]

Hope this helps,
Regards,

Alex