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Surrey council promises greater scrutiny of all HMO landlords

spelthorne

A council in Surrey has vowed to put pressure on HMO landlords - including those who have forked out for a licence.

Spelthorne Borough Council - that includes Staines, Sunbury and Egham to the south of Heathrow Airport - implemented an Article 4 direction in August, meaning that any property in Staines, Ashford North & Stanwell South, and Stanwell North not already operating as a small HMO will need full planning permission, while the council will make the restrictions borough-wide on 13th March next year.

It is now threatening a post-live crack down and explains it has, “reaffirmed its commitment to addressing issues caused by poorly managed HMOs and protecting residents’ quality of life”.

Legal

Spelthorne’s council leader, councillor Joanne Sexton, will contact licensed HMO landlords highlighting their legal and moral duties to maintain properties, safeguard tenants and avoid causing nuisance. The authority explains that enforcement is being strengthened, and that it is in the process of taking civil penalty action against several landlords for failure to obtain HMO licences, breaches of housing standards and inadequate property management.

The move is yet another example of councils being pressurised to get heavy with HMO landlords, often following local campaigns. Spelthorne has a fairly modest HMO sector and even last year action was not recommended given ‘low levels’ of complaints about them; a council report revealed that it had only received an average of 1.5-1.75 complaints about HMOs per year in each ward.

Provide

Sexton says while HMOs provide important affordable housing, high concentrations in some areas, especially where tenants come from outside the borough, have led to concerns over noise, anti-social behaviour, parking and community character.

She adds: “HMOs must be safe, well-managed and respectful of communities. We are sending a clear message to all landlords: get it right, or we will take action.”

Tags:

Hmos
Article 4 directions

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