Council plans could vastly reduce number of HMOs in Harlow
News / Sun 23rd Feb 2020 at 11:02am
THE NUMBER OF Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in Harlow could be drastically reduced if a proposal by Labour-run Harlow Council is approved.
Over the last five years, the number of HMOs in Harlow has dramatically increased.
In 2015, there were 140. In 2019, there were 319.
By comparison, there are 211 in Stevenage and only 42 in Basildon.
The chart below also shows the increase in the number of complaints regarding rubbish, noise and housing standards.
Harlow Council is keen to stress that the proposals are about solving a problem. The council document states: “It is widely acknowledged that most HMOs are well managed. However, in a relatively small number of cases, poorly run HMOs can provide significant problems for neighbours as well as the tenants of the HMO property.
‘The issue to be addressed therefore is how to create an environment in which well- managed HMOs can exist whilst the Council has sufficient powers to be able to manage growth and tackle inappropriate conversions”.
However, the solution may involve re-inforcing laws that go back to when Harlow New Town was set up.
“The development of many HMOs in Harlow can be controlled through the enforcement of covenants. Properties that were built in Harlow by the Development Corporation or by the Council contain a covenant which restricts their use to a single family dwelling.
“The covenant also prevents their use for business or trade purposes as well as preventing the development of gardens. The Council has recently taken legal advice from a barrister specialising in this area of law to seek advice on the enforceability of the covenants”.
The whole matter will be debated at a meeting of the Harlow Council Cabinet on Thursday night at 7.30pm in the Civic Centre.
https://moderngov.harlow.gov.uk/documents/s15303/Town%20Wide%20HMO%20Article%204%20Direction.pdf
A full list of HMOs registered with Harlow Council can be found below.
https://www.harlow.gov.uk/search?search_api_fulltext=HMO
S A Sullivan
2020-02-26 10:08:22
It is good to know that Harlow Council is, at last, taking this issue seriously. My up-to-date analysis of the HMO public registers reveals that Harlow has 322 licensed HMOs. Significantly, not mentioned in the Council's report, is that 59 of them are next door to another HMO. Sometimes the adverse effects of an HMO arriving next door drives people to move away. The only likely buyers of their home are potential HMO landlords. Compare this with the proposed planning policy requiring no more than one HMO in every 5 properties. (This ought to be 1 in 10 to comply with the National Planning Framework). My experience in Morley Grove makes clear that there is no need for an HMO-specific planning policy before establishing the relevant Article 4 Direction. Harlow Council could start a non-immediate A4D now. Stevenage's Article 4 Direction came into force in September 2017 which might explain why they have fewer HMOs than Harlow. The value of the current Additional Licensing Scheme is that it means all HMOs in the town need to be licensed. This removes a loophole by which some landlords might falsely argue that their HMO has fewer than 5 occupiers and therefore does not need licensing. It practice it is not easy to prove how many people are living in an HMO. The Additional Licensing Scheme needs to be renewed to avoid this uncertainty. Only then will all HMO tenants be protected by a licensing scheme and all landlords be treated equally. Local London Boroughs are bringing Additional Licensing into their areas for the first time even though the government has widened the range of the Mandatory Licensing Scheme. To begin with Harlow Council was ahead of other authorities with its proactive policy of prevention. It would be short-sighted to throw the benefits of that away when the scheme can be renewed.
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