Letting agent Jason Kay (main picture) has leapt to the defence of the HMO sector in a BBC programme discussing anti-social behaviour problems in home city.

Kay, who is also a property developer in Hull, told BBC Look North there was high demand for HMO rooms in the city but that council restrictions on new developments meant better quality housing cannot not be built.

We’re living in a society where people need this level of housing.”

“We’re living in a society where people need this level of housing,” said Kay, who owns management agency H2MO.

“We’ve still got all the lower standard stock because people can’t build new HMOs. They are restricted by the council.”

Kay said he had recently completed a 24-bed property, and would soon start on another 32-bed development in Hull, but council resistance was still a problem.

Tearing up

Meanwhile, a senior councillor warned HMOs risk “tearing up the social fabric of streets and communities”.

Paul Drake-Davis, Cabinet Member for Housing at Hull City Council, said HMOs were causing “too many horror stories”, and called for better regulation of landlords.

There are around 2,000 HMO properties in Hull, according to the council. One thousand of those are occupied by five or more people and are subject to mandatory licensing, and another 1,000 are occupied by three or four people.

There are also 1,550 buildings converted into self-contained flats. These flats are occupied by three or more people, and could also meet the definition of an HMO.

More on HMOs

Main picture: BBC News