Sam Shephard says he made “honest mistake” with transfer of HMO property
A HMO application for a house in the Tates Avenue area by the Belfast Juice Jar founder has been rejected.
The application was unanimously refused by elected representatives at the January meeting of the Belfast City Council Licensing Committee, on the basis of overprovision in the area.
The application was for 65 Tates Avenue, by Remark Group Ltd, which is directed by Sam Shephard, a former Royal Marine and hedge fund manager from Armagh City, who owns the Juice Jar chain in Belfast and beyond.
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Speaking before the Licensing Committee on Wednesday (January 21) at City Hall, Mr Shephard ironically referred to himself as “the big bad landlord” and said not succeeding in the application would “half” his entire net worth.
Last year he won €150,000 for the top award at the North-South Business Cooperation Awards, a cash prize designed to aid the growth of business. The awards were set up by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the EasyJet founder.
Houses of Multiple Occupation, also known as a “house-share” residencies, which landlords lease out to three or more tenants from different addresses, have become increasingly controversial, with some arguing they have negatively affected communities and led to anti-social behaviour in places like the Holylands and Stranmillis in South Belfast, where landlords pack houses with undergraduates and others.
Applications for new HMO licences have increased in other parts of the city in recent years. A series of applications have been refused across the city, but many applicants are successfully appealing the decisions via the Planning Appeals Commission.
HMO licence renewal cannot be refused on the basis of overprovision of such properties in an area, but new licences can be refused on this basis.
While the council policy is that HMO’s should not account for more than 20 percent of any area of housing management, in reality many streets exceed this, with some in the Holylands reaching over 90 percent. Outside housing policy areas the threshold is 10 percent.
In the Tates Avenue case a new licence application was required from the council after ownership of the property was transferred from the individual’s name to the individual’s business.
The council report on the application states: “The property had the benefit of an HMO licence issued by the council with a start date of 20 January 2021 and an expiry date of the 20 January 2026 in the name of Mr Sam Shepherd
“The ownership of the property transferred to Remark Group Ltd, with an assignment date of 28 June 2023. Mr. Sam Shephard is a director of the Remark Group Ltd.
“In accordance with Section 28 “Change of ownership: effect on licence” of the 2016 Act, the licence in the name of Mr Sam Shephard ceased to have effect on the date of transfer.
“An application for a new HMO licence was received from Remark Group Ltd on 30 September 2025. The property was inspected on 17 October 2025 at which time it was vacant.”
65 Tates Avenue is in the housing management area “Edinburgh Street,” where 48 percent of all dwelling units are made up of HMOs. This exceeds the 20 percent development limit.
Sam Shephard opened the first Juice Jar in Wellington Place in 2019, and later expanded to five premises around Belfast, at Ballyhackamore, Ormeau Road, Botanic Avenue, and Lisburn Road – 10 minutes walk from his property at Tates Avenue. He also has Juice Jars in Dublin and Bristol.
Mr Shephard told the Licensing Committee on Wednesday: “Obviously I am the big bad landlord here in the grand scheme of things, but for me personally this is a huge financial loss, and that is why I am here today. Effectively overnight this decision has halved my entire net worth, in other words this home is all I own.”
He said the Tates Avenue property was a “small nest-egg” for his family and said the property transfer was “an honest mistake” after he was advised to move it to a limited company.
Sinn Féin Councillor Caoimhín McCann proposed the application be refused on the basis of overprovision, and the committee agreed.
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