Tougher planning restrictions come into force today in Belfast to help prevent overcrowding and trouble in the Queen's University area.
The laws come in response to complaints by residents following unrest in the area last week involving hundreds of students who live in private rented accommodation.
The students took to the streets late at night following a documentary broadcast by BBC Northern Ireland last Tuesday which depicted them as anti-social, drunken and rowdy.
Student numbers have risen sharply and pressure on available accommodation in south Belfast has resulted in multiple occupancy of houses by students attending a range of colleges across Belfast.
Many long-term residents have moved, citing student overcrowding and bad behaviour.
From today, residential property will require planning permission if rooms are to be rented out. Landlords and developers will be subject to greater controls while the planning services gain more powers to control the growth of houses in multiple occupancy.
Queen's University and the University of Ulster are working to eliminate the anti-social behaviour by threatening unruly students who live off campus with disciplinary measures, including suspension and expulsion.
However, both institutions also insist that the problem of overcrowding and social unrest can only be tackled successfully if Belfast City Council, the planning and environmental services and the police play a role in addressing the area's needs.