Healey announces regime change for HMOs

Housing and planning minister John Healey has announced new local powers to control the spread of high concentrations of shared rented homes - houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) - a particular cause for concern in some university towns and cities.
This move forms part of Government measures designed to tackle pockets of unsafe and substandard accommodation run by bad landlords.

Following consultation, Communities and Local Government has decided to amend the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) order 1987 as amended to provide for a specific definition of an HMO.

Planning permission will then be required, where a material change of use has occurred, for properties changing use from C3 (dwelling house) to the new use class. At the same time as making this change the department now plans to amend the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 to provide that movement between the new HMO Use Class back to the C3 class (dwelling house) will not require planning permission.

CLG has stressed that the consultation indicated that any definition introduced would be based on that contained in the Housing Act 2004 and in the interests of clarity and consistency the department has decided to align the definition in planning legislation and housing legislation as closely as is appropriate.

The new regime should come into force in April, ministers have confirmed. The department has acknowledged the change will lead to an inevitable rise in planning applications but said it believed there was a real need to intervene in this specific problem.
CLG had previously said that the consultation responses and research work have indicated that good practice alone cannot solve the problems encountered in a number of communities.

John Healey, said: “I am giving councils more local powers to crack down on the worst landlords and stop the spread of high concentrations of shared homes where it causes problems for other residents or changes the character of a neighbourhood.

“Private landlords play a big part in meeting the housing needs of millions so I want to raise the standards and stamp out the worst landlords that drag down the reputation of the rest. Councils know their communities and are best placed to help tenants facing landlords who rent unsafe or substandard accommodation and take little responsibility for the problems caused for neighbours.

“Everyone deserves a decent and safe place to live and these measures aim to improve standards of the private rented sector at a time when more people look to rent as their first option in the housing market.”

Many towns and cities across the country have suffered the effects of a concentration of HMOs. Market, coastal and university towns have reported problems due to large student populations and HMOs which resulted in shops, businesses and pubs closing down during vacation time, creating 'ghost neighbourhoods'..

Read the CLG press release

Houses in multiple occupation and possible planning responses: consultation - Summary of Responses

Roger Milne
28 January 2010