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11/12/25 3:00 pm
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MPs have called on the government to tighten rules for HMOs amid reports of anti-social behaviour and a lack of family homes causing frustration among their communities.
During a Commons debate on HMO planning consent, MPs from around the country and across parties told stories about the often-unchecked spread of HMOs in their constituencies and resulting problems.
Although Housing Under Secretary Samantha Dixon (pictured) did not promise immediate action, she told MPs: “If the existing powers are not working…we want to engage and find out why. The government are keen to engage to see how the existing powers are being exercised and how they can be improved.”
Labour MP Steve Yemm said locals in Mansfield felt powerless to manage their impact and said the process for councils to use Article 4 directions – which introduce planning consent for small HMOs - when there was a clear local need should be simplified and strengthened.
“We should think about introducing a national framework that prevents over-concentration of HMOs in defined areas,” said Yemm. “Part of that could include the creation of a national register for HMOs, linking planning, licensing and council tax data so that local teams can more easily identify areas and locate unregistered properties.”
He suggested that councils should be properly resourced to enforce the rules by providing ring-fenced funding or using planning fees or licensing income to support enforcement.
Lib Dem housing spokesman Gideon Amos called Article 4 directions a “blunt, short-term instrument” for controlling the proliferation of HMOs. “They may prevent conversions in one area, but they can shift the problem elsewhere,” he said. “If sufficient social homes were available, those on the lowest income would not be forced into the private rented sector and HMOs.”
Shadow housing minister David Simmonds said the opposition supported new provisions to improve the licensing process for HMOs and agreed a more straightforward implementation of Article 4 directions was needed, possibly through amendments to the Renters’ Rights Act.
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