new planning Use Class Order for HMOs

The government is thinking of changing the rules on HMOs (houses in multiple occupation, or shared houses) - and they are asking us what we think! Now we have a chance to tip the balance in favour of residents.

Parts of Bath have a problem with HMOs. Of course, there's nothing wrong with sharing a house, as such. But there's something seriously wrong with a neighbourhood where most of the houses are HMOs.

This is now the case in the neighbourhoods in parts of Bath. Few live in HMOs for very long, so what this means is a constantly changing population. Constant change breaks the links on which communities depend. As HMOs increase, community spirit decreases. There are now streets in where temporary tenants outnumber longer term residents. The results are all too obvious in the changes that have overtaken these neighbourhoods in the last decade or two.

But it's not only our area which is affected. Most university towns now have concentrations of HMOs. And not only these - there are huge problems in seaside towns where guest-houses have been turned into HMOs, and in many market towns gang masters have bought up HMOs for seasonal workers.

As a result, residents groups from all over the country have joined the National HMO Lobby, a network of community associations pioneered by the Leeds HMO Lobby. Locally the Bath Federation of Residents Associations are members. In addition, there is a parallel national group of local councillors, of which Cllr Shaun McGall Oldfield ward is a member. Don Foster, our MP here in Bath, is a member of the parliamentary Group working on these issues.

Together they have campaigned for ten years to get government nationally to bring in legislation which will enable government locally to resist concentrations of HMOs. They helped to bring in licensing of HMOs with the Housing Act 2004, and the highly successful voluntary local accreditation scheme for HMOs

But licences and accreditation schemes don't resist HMOs - for this, new planning legislation is needed.

At the moment no permission is needed to convert a family house to a HMO - so anyone can do so, landlords, buy-to-let investors, student parents ... There's nothing the Council can do without new powers. So we have been campaigning for a change to the Use Classes Order, the relevant regulation. Colleagues in Loughborough, Nottingham and Southampton have shown ministers what the problems are in their areas. So last year, we got the government to commission a report on HMOs - and this recommended consultation on new legislation. The consultation paper agrees that concentrations of HMOs cause problems. It suggests three courses of action, and is seeking the views of the public on these.

Option 1 is to rely on existing ‘good practice', like the things we've done in Bath to try to tackle the problem - but we know it doesn't work!

Option 2 is to change the Use Classes Order, so that HMOs need planning permission - this is obviously what is needed, and what we've campaigned for so long. On its own it won't solve the problem, but it is essential to prevent it getting any worse, here and elsewhere.

Option 3is a complicated proposal to allow HMOs anywhere at all - except where the government agrees to give special powers to councils in limited areas (Article 4 Directions). This is basically unworkable.

We have until 7 August to persuade the government to act on Option 2.

What can you do to help?

Many Bath Councillors have written make sure that your has as has. Don Foster, our MP here in Bath. So too can you, the more voices the better!

Please join us in writing to the Government if you need help with your letter or email then please contact us.

The email address for replies is:

UCOHMOConsultation@communities.gsi.gov.uk (subject: HMO Consultation);

The postal address is:

Susan Turner,
Planning System Improvement Division,
Department for Communities and Local Government,
Zone 1/J10,
Eland House,
Bressenden Place,
London
SW1E 5DU.

The deadline is 7 August 2009.