News from Southampton Labour

Homes of multiple occupation to be brought under control by Labour

New powers allowing local councils to prevent the unplanned spread of Homes of Multiple Occupation (or an HMO) in towns and cities have been announced by John Denham’s Department of Communities and Local Government.

Areas of Southampton such as the Polygon and Portswood will benefit from these new rules requiring landlords to gain planning permission to convert family homes into HMOs. The cluster of too many shared houses in such areas has been a regular cause for concern among local residents due to too many properties being let to transient residents with no stake in the community. These new rules, announced by Housing Minister John Healey, will come into force later this year.

John Denham, Labour MP for Southampton Itchen said: “Many people have lived in a rented room in a shared house at some point, which is why these such homes are a key housing option, particularly for students, people on low incomes and people starting work for the first time.

“When a high proportion of the population of an area change every year in undermines the strength of the local community; and it makes homeowners less likely to invest in their homes. I’ve campaigned for these changes, alongside local residents, for years so am delighted they will now be made. These changes will benefit long term residents and help prevent tennants being ripped off by unscrupulous lanlords. The Conservative council has not yet used all the powers it enjoys under current legislation. It is essential they use these new powers effectively.”

Housing Minister John Healey, added: “Everyone deserves a decent and safe place to live. So I’m also giving councils more clout to tackle landlords who provide substandard accommodation in hotspot areas. Councils know their local area best so it’s right they take local licensing decisions when it comes to private landlords.

“It’s also right that tenants have the information they need about potential landlords, and know what to do when things go wrong. The new National Landlords Register I will establish will give them access to this important advice.

“Taken together, these measures aim to increase the size, quality and professionalism of the Private Rented Sector at a time when it is of growing importance in the housing market. The changes will also give local authorities the freedom and tools to respond to housing challenges as and when the needs arise.”

Government consultation on how to tackle this long-standing issue closed last year. It attracted around 900 responses from local authorities, residents associations, universities, individuals, MPs, councillors, and campaign groups. The large majority of those who responded supported a change to the so-called Use Classes Orders and the introduction of a definition of what constitutes a HMO.

Mr Healey also published new proposals to give councils more flexibility to require landlords to provide quality and safe private rented accommodation in hotspot areas with a large proportion of substandard properties which can be a magnet for anti-social behavior and other community problems.

A general consent for discretionary licensing schemes would allow councils to approve landlord licenses without seeking permission from central Government ensuring that decisions about the quality of local housing are made by those who are aware of the local issues and needs of the local community.

Proposals for the National Landlords Register will also be confirmed in the next few weeks, which will provide a mechanism by which landlords and tenants can be kept properly informed of their rights and responsibilities. For the first time tenants will also be able to carry out basic checks on potential landlords and have easy access to clear advice and support services. At the same time, the Government is working with Consumer Focus to assess what online tools might be of use to tenants in this respect.

Many towns and cities across the country have suffered the effects of a concentration of HMOs. Some of our market town, coastal towns and university towns have reported particular problems. Southampton, alongside towns and cities such as Nottingham, Loughborough and Bristol find themselves with more empty properties during the summer due to large student populations, meaning shops, businesses and pubs simply close down creating ‘ghost towns’.

The consultation by CLG identified the problems often associated with high concentrations of HMOs and sought to explore what, if anything could be done to address the problem. The Government have today confirmed the next steps, which include making secondary legislation by April this year. This will include a specific definition of an HMO. Local authorities can then introduce local planning policies to help promote or restrict the growth of HMOs in their area.

John Denham first raised this issue in an adjournment debate in 1992. His persistance has now paid off.

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