Planning permission will soon no longer be needed to change a family house or flat into a small shared letting property.

From 1 October 2010 the coalition government is effectively reversing the national regulations which were put in place by the previous administration earlier this year. Anyone now wanting to let their home to up to six unrelated people living in a single shared household will no longer need to apply for planning permission from Plymouth City Council.

The new government has indicated it found the previous planning law too restrictive and has changed the regulation to allow householders and landlords more freedom to make changes.

It remains possible for a similar sized multiple occupation house or flat to be changed into a single family home without planning permission from the Council.

Property owners who are considering changing the use of their property and are unsure of the planning regulations can find out more on Plymouth City Council's planning enforcement page or by visiting the Government’s national Planning Portal.

Plymouth City Council, 1 October 2010