Dear Editor,

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.

Regards

Sheila Sullivan