DEMAND for student housing in a Hampshire estate blighted by anti-social behaviour is at an all-time high, estate agents have said.

Property firms have reported an increase in Stanmore, Winchester, amid warnings that a looming housing crackdown will cause a “gold rush” for lucrative student digs.

As previously reported, locals are fed up of rowdy youngsters urinating in gardens, kicking in wing mirrors and even having sex in the street.

Julian Bessey, owner of Martin & Co letting agents, said many of its houses have already been let for September 2015, a month earlier than usual.

He said: “The demand for Stanmore properties, given the yields that they produce, has gone up and up and up in recent years, which therefore means that they can go very quickly.

“[The new ruling] does further increase the demand.”

Winchester City Council agreed last month to force landlords to apply for planning permission before converting family homes into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Campaigners claim delaying the clampdown until next year will cause a “gold rush” of investors looking to cash in before the window shuts.

The Daily Echo spoke to a number of estate and lettings agents who said demand for Stanmore HMOs was at a record high. Many said they had not heard of the new rules and those that had said their landlords' approach had not changed.

One firm, Fox & Sons, has delivered leaflets on the estate advertising their sales service in recent weeks but denied this was a reaction to the council's decision.

Winchester University and student union have introduced a range of measures to tackle on the problem. In December, a university spokesman said it “does not have any plans to increase the student intake in the short to medium term”.