Council’s poll reveals deep dislike of HMOs among voters
Disgruntled voters want a Kent council to halt the uncontrolled spread of Houses in Multiple Occupation in their area.
It is often assumed that it is councils that are to blame for the increasing regulation of the rental market, but a recent poll has revealed that it may be public opposition to Houses in Multiple Occupation that is putting the real pressure on councils to introduce tougher restrictions.
More than nine out of ten people (91%) who responded to Maidstone Borough Council’s consultation on its proposed new HMO policy want to see restrictions on HMO numbers.
Rubbish, parking and anti-social behaviour
As cabinet member Cllr Clive English (pictured) explains, it is parking problems that are one of the public’s biggest bugbears (86%), while rubbish and anti-social behaviour are other major sources of irritation.
And high-density compounds these issues. When multiple HMOs cluster together, more tenants compete with locals for parking spaces, more rubbish accumulates on streets, and there is a greater chance of anti-social behaviour.
But it is an area where councils complain they are caught between two stools. Maidstone’s councillors, for example, want to reduce the proposed 100-metre radius for HMO concentration limits to just 50 metres.
It also wants to introduce a policy that would limit HMOs’ density by blocking applications where concentrations already exceed 10% of properties in an area.
Legal challenges
However, at the same time, it is worried about the threat of legal challenges from developers who could challenge any policies that aren’t properly evidence-based.
Either way, residents may not be satisfied, as local policy only covers HMOs with seven or more bedrooms and allows smaller conversions without council involvement.
As Cllr. English (Pictured) explains, the council cannot currently introduce new policies; it can only ‘finesse’ existing planning polices, as that has to be done through the Local Plan process.
And, whatever the rule changes, not everyone will follow them, as the consultation also revealed that nearly one in five complaints from the public were about HMOs that were already breaking the existing rules.
