A man whose family have lived in the same property for 75 years said he considered selling the home after the neighbourhood was taken over by students - until he claims he was told it had plummeted in value.
Four generations of David Wilson’s family have lived in the property in Bryn Road in Brynmill , a short distance from the centre of Swansea . But he said the character of the suburb had changed dramatically over recent years, with huge numbers of homes being converted into houses of multiple occupation.
The proximity of the university grounds, together with the high number of HMOs in Brynmill and Uplands, makes those areas very popular with students.
Beautiful parkland on Swansea prom has been saved from development
Their arrival has meant the number of families living in the area has fallen, according to Mr Wilson, and he said this had resulted in a knock-on effect in terms of the value of his property, he claimed.
Mr Wilson talks more about his property:
He said: “Last weekend we had the university’s summer ball, which prompted scores of complaints about noise .
“But that was just part of it. We had troops of people marching along the streets in the afternoon, leaving behind bottles and cans and other mess.
“I had shards of glass left in my driveway, and was picking up rubbish they had left behind.
“But there was nothing done about it. If I’d had a ghetto blaster pumping in the streets at 10pm, the police would have been quick to react."
Following complaints related to the summer ball, the university Students Union said it worked closely with a number of organisations including the police and Swansea Council to minimise any impact on the local community, and that it conformed to all the conditions of its premises licence.
But the situation in the area had already made Mr Wilson think about heading for pastures new.
“I looked into leaving the area, which wasn’t something I really wanted to do, as my family has lived in this home for 75 years.
“And I was told I should have sold it 25 years ago to get its full value.
“I was advised I might have got more than £400,000 back then, but now it has been devalued to £250,000, and that is because of the type of area we are in now.
“The quality of life has been eroded, and there’s only about three permanent residents in the street now.
“We have noise, anti-social behaviour, and issues with parking.
“I haven’t really wanted to move from the house because four generations of my family have lived here.
“But to find out that it had devalued by so much was a huge shock, and I don’t feel I can sell it for that price."
Earlier this year, Swansea Council adopted its local development plan which features new planning policies linked to HMOs and developed to control concentration levels of HMOs across the city.
The policy stipulates HMO conversions in Uplands and Brynmill will only be allowed if they do not lead to more than 25% of all residential properties within a 50m radius being HMOs.
The HMO threshold level for areas outside Uplands and Brynmill is 10%.
A number of estate agents were asked to comment about house prices in Brynmill.
Without having viewed Mr Wilson's property, some said the value might have decreased due to the changing nature of the neighbourhood - but added that it depended on the particular property, and questioned the discrepancy in the figures.
Others said there would always be investors in an area such as Brynmill.
Chris Hope, director of Dawsons estate agents, added: "The value of a property will depend on the location and its condition.
"Without having seen the property, I would be surprised if something had lost so much value over 20 years, but it would depend on wear and tear."
A number of new student developments are currently being created in the city which could see the number in HMOs reduce in the future, although the impact of this new accommodation is not yet known.
A Swansea University spokewoman said: “The University does appreciate that anti-social behaviour by a small minority of students can be a concern for some residents.
"This is why, working closely with the Students’ Union, the university operates a dedicated Community Team in partnership with Swansea Council, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, South Wales Police, and the Safer Swansea Partnership’s Anti-social Behaviour Team.
“The Community Team, based on campus, is the primary contact for anyone in the local community who wishes to raise any issues relating to students. Tel: 01792 602000 between 9am and 4pm, or email: community.campuslife@swansea.ac.uk”
