A RECENT meeting of student accommodation owners and relevant stakeholders saw a melting pot of positive pathways towards mitigating challenges beleaguering more than 700 student properties and residents.

The meeting convened by the Problem Properties Forum (NPO) was attended by residents, businesses, UIP, CPF, representatives from the eThekwini Municipality, UKZN legal unit, and the property owners.

Niki Moore, the director of Problem Properties Forum (NPO), was pleased with the outcomes of the meeting. “We invited close to 500 stakeholders, and only 25 responded. This tells us that a vast number of owners are not interested, others are more likely non-compliant or illegal,” she said.

“This meeting was a fantastic step forward. We intended to create a network of all entities that have been either miscommunicating or could not reach each other. The road to addressing challenges around student accommodation is long but this meeting has set the tone for future smooth operation and compliance.”

Moore added that property value in Ward 33, Ward 101, and Musgrave has decreased by 20% – 30% in the last five years, due to unregulated and illegal student properties in the neighbourhood.
Julian King, the chairperson of Student Accommodation Providers of SA, said they wanted to be part and parcel of engagements and to understand the challenges.

“We also wanted to come to a collaborative solution and respond accordingly. Important that the institutions of higher learning and the municipality create a dialogue for us because the demand for student accommodation is escalating. We cannot run away from that; all stakeholders in the chain need to ensure that all live in harmony.”

He admits that such challenges have been around for ages; now is the right time for the municipality to do more than to educate owners on by-laws and zoning issues and compliance, to ensure success. “Building inspectors, town planners, tertiary institutions, and the accommodation providers must all come to the table.”

Also read: ‘Glenwood cannot take another student res’

Adele van Heerden, Head of Legal Services at UKZN, said they had noticed a pattern of non-compliance in private student accommodations. She shared that as an institution, they have limited control and monitoring duties; however, through the Problem Properties Forum and the UIP, they had numerous engagements, and soon will be entering into an MOU with the community. “We are pleased that we have jointly objected to the mushrooming of student accommodation applications that did not comply with the laws,” she said.

eThekwini Municipality’s Land Use Management unit unpacked the guidelines for buyers of student properties.
Umbilo CPF has noted increased foot traffic and heightened security risk for students. “Landlords have a duty to ensure that students comply with rules; if not, this creates more work for the CPF and intensified frustration for the residents,” said Calvin Thomas, chairperson of Umbilo CPF.

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