Ealing cracks down on homes in multiple occupation

"A west London council has become the latest in the city to crack down on the creation of houses of multiple occupation (HMOs). Landlords in Ealing face stricter rules if they seek to convert a family home into a shared house rented out on a room-by-room basis with different households sharing some facilities. The council said the tighter regulations would make it better able to manage HMOs and their quality."

"Currently, landlords only have to seek planning permission to convert a home into a HMO for more than six people - but the incoming change would make it compulsory, regardless of size. Local planning laws will remove the automatic right for landlords to turn a normal house into a small HMO - and each council can decide when the changes are implemented in their borough. HMOs will also have to be licensed, meaning landlords will be subject to legally binding standards for the way they manage their properties and deal with their tenants."

"There are around 4,000 licensed HMOs in the borough, but it is estimated there are at least a further 1,500 unlicensed ones. The council said a recently appointed enforcement team had investigated more than 120 properties. It said this led to 12 warnings and five referrals to the council's unlicensed properties team."

Ealing Council will require planning permission for any conversion of a family home into a house of multiple occupation (HMO), removing the automatic right to create small HMOs. Licensing will become compulsory for HMOs, imposing legally binding standards on landlords’ property management and tenant relations. The borough has about 4,000 licensed HMOs and an estimated 1,500 unlicensed properties. A recently appointed enforcement team investigated over 120 properties, resulting in 12 warnings and five referrals to the unlicensed properties team. The council reports inspecting almost 200 properties and issuing 800 new licences each month. Wandsworth implemented a new HMO licensing scheme in July, and Hillingdon is consulting.

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