Agenda item

To consider a review of the use of Article 4 Directions to manage conversions to Houses in Multiple Occupation and whether changes in legislation introduced in October 2018 have resulted in improvements to the management and safety standards in such properties.

The Committee received a report concerning Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO).  The Planning Development Manager outlined the background to the report; the subject was previously scrutinised by the Committee in November 2018 following a change in legislation and an update requested for late 2019/early 2020.

The report had been prepared jointly by Planning and Environmental Health using data for the period October 2016 to September 2019, the two years preceding and the year following the new legislation coming into effect. The data showed that there was insufficient evidence at present to justify the introduction of Article 4 direction but HMOs would continue to be monitored by the Planning Enforcement and Environmental Health teams.

The Committee asked a range of questions and in response were advised:

·         There were a number of reasons why some areas had a higher number of HMOs than others, generally it occurred in university towns or where the cost of rented property was very high.  In Spelthorne the general tendency was for friends to rent a house together or through an agency. The number of HMOs in Spelthorne was very small in comparison to other areas. 

·         There was a cluster of HMOs around Ashford Town and Ashford North/Stanwell South, which was likely to be due to the size and type of properties.

·         The new licensing regime had improved management and safety standards. 

·         Most complaints received related to noise and accumulation of rubbish.

·         There had been an increase in enforcement action as a result of the legislative change.  Information was gathered from many different sources and the approach used by the enforcement team would depend on the nature of the potential breach. 

·         There had been one case relating to modern day slavery, and three concerning possible illegal immigration. 

Resolved to note the report.