A leading London council has revealed plans to clamp down on HMOs and the ‘fly tipping’ and rubbish their residents create, and has pointed the finger at both landlords and letting agents for not doing enough to stop the problem.

Merton, which includes many of the upmarket areas of Wimbledon but also some less wealthy areas of suburban London, says fly-tipping and authorised rubbish dumping outside properties has become a blight on its neighbourhoods, damages the environment, spoil public spaces and divert resources from already stretched council services.

In response, its new strategy to tackle fly-tipping claims to be a ‘bold and proactive’ plan,

This includes help to ensure people dispose of their waste responsibility, but also a new approach to enforce against those who break the law including increased fines. Fixed Penalties are to rise from £500 to £1,000 after locals asked for ‘stronger action’ during a recent consultation.

Those likely to receive such hefty penalties will include landlords and letting agents, the council has warned that both groups are responsible for rubbish left outside properties when tenants move out, particularly mattresses and furniture.

The council says HMOs are a particularly problem and create ‘specific waste management challenges’.

“In addition to generating more waste than other property types, anecdotal evidence suggests these properties often produce low recycling rates, high levels of recycling contamination, as well as incorrect presentation of waste and fly-tipping,” its plan says.

“Living in an HMO may present other stresses or concerns with waste management often considered low priority.”

The document warns that the council is to use its HMO licensing powers to increase the mandatory ‘refuse storage’ – bins to most people – that landlords must provide for each property.

Stephen Alambritis (main image), Cabinet Member for Transport and Cleaner Streets says:  “We’re taking a firm stand against fly-tipping, this strategy sets out how we’ll protect our streets and hold offenders to account—because everyone deserves a clean, safe borough”.

The announcement follows a similar clamp-down at Sefton Council.

Read Merton's plan in full.

Picture credit: Merton Borough.